High Trails Over Low Valleys
by BurgundySunsets
Summary: Upon landing a job at the horse ranch Singer Farms, Dean Winchester's life is changed forever when he meets a certain blue-eyed man that threatens to unravel every presumption and image he ever held for himself. Set in a time pervaded with discrimination and hatred, if Dean lets his barriers down perhaps even he can learn the beauty of true love- something marvelous yet so tragic.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello! So this story has been almost two years in the making, and is something I wrote for my best friend as a gift. I'm mainly posting this on my Ao3 account, but figured it wouldn't hurt to cross-post it over here. Updates will occur every other day on my Ao3 (I use the same username over there as I do here) while only weekly, on Mondays, here. Furthermore, due to Fanfiction's guidelines and the fact I don't want my account banned, I'm going to be editing out some aspects of this story over here; the few (around 3ish, so it's not a main aspect of this story) explicit sexual content scenes I have in this story will be cut out on this version here, but will be kept on the main version I'm updating over on Ao3 (so head on over there when the time comes if you wanna read those parts ;) or to support it over there as well if you want!)

In any case, this story is completely finished, however, I just want to update it slower as to not overwhelm people with a massive 140k+ fic out of nowhere. I'm sorry for any spelling/grammatical errors as even though I went through this story many times, some of them still might have slipped past me as I am the sole writer and editor of this story.

I can't tag things on fanfic's platform, so here's my warning: This story is not light. It's a horse ranch/farm and jockey riding AU set in the 1970s, so I tried to write it in a way that held true to the time period Dean and Cas are living in, and as such, had to write some things that killed me to write as I find the words used and the specific actions highly offensive. While the relationship aspect is wholesome once it gets going, the fic will also deal with dark topics of era-relevant homophobia, self-internalized homophobia, slurs of the homophobic language kind, explicit language in general, some bad coping mechanisms, and depression.

If anything mentioned offends, upsets, angers, gives you anxiety, or triggers you, then please do not read this story.

Also I have done research, but I apologize in advance to any inaccuracies pertaining to the horse aspects of the story as I have never personally handled or ridden a horse, and I know that research is not a good substitute for hands-on experience.

As per usual, here's my disclaimer: I claim no rights to any and all events or characters pertaining to Supernatural itself or the songs used or mentioned in this work of fiction, and all characters, events, and likeness belongs completely to the creators of Supernatural and the authors of the songs themselves.

Thank you for bearing with me through this long a/n, and I hope you all enjoy the story! :) Feel free to leave reviews/comments, I really love to hear what you all think!

o.O.o

'_Sometimes…I feel like people want to watch the world burn to the ground, just for the hell of it.'_ Dean thought, as countless fields of countryside stretched before him. Similar thoughts had plagued his head all day, the man having been placed into a perpetually bad mood for the week. He sighed with the grace of a slight smile as the hearty notes of "T.N.T." from AC/DC reverberated out of the stereos of his car.

'_At least my Baby's always by my side.' _He thought, stroking the dash of his 1967 model Impala. His father had given it to him before he passed a few years back, and Dean thought it was honestly the best thing his godforsaken father had ever given him.

Dean Winchester, a man with only thirty dollars to his name, and a brother making it big in New York in some law firm, had nowhere to go and not a place to call home. He had just lost his job as on an on-duty police sheriff that very day, having "knocked some sense" into a cocky teenage punk that had stolen from an elderly woman. He gave the kid a chance, he really did, but when the kid had pulled a knife on him, Dean's fight or flight instincts had kicked in to overdrive. Needless to say, the kid wouldn't be coming out of the hospital for a few weeks.

Dean honestly felt the kid had it coming to him, but that obviously wasn't up for him to decide. Released, luckily without criminal charges of assault, Dean found himself having to move out of his small town of Fernari, Kansas. He had caught his girlfriend Stephanie sleeping with another guy, some "tall, brunette, freckleless stud" as she had so eloquently called the guy, so it was apparent to him that staying there wasn't an option.

Wanting to put as much distance between him and his past as possible, Dean thought it the best to take a road trip to any place the winds took him. Or rather, where his baby took him at least.

It wasn't until around 8 o'clock at night that Dean figured he should probably stop to get some food and refuel his baby's tank. Signs for a local rest stop caught his interest as the nearest food and gas stop for the next thirty miles. Figuring that it could be worse, he decided to take the next exit to the small haven in the middle of nowhere, the light of the stars and moon helping to illuminate his drive through the bumpy country roads and wide expanses of corn fields.

Half an hour passed before roadside lights finally made a reappearance, and Dean let out a small, content sigh at the promise of a small reprieve from countless hours of driving. _'Finally. Jesus Christ, I thought I'd never see civilization again.' _The man thought to himself. Being twenty and still young came with its advantages, but no one's youth could save them from the aches of a long car drive.

Pulling into the gravel parking lot, Dean steered his car into one of the nearby open gas pumps before turning off the engine, hopping out of the car, and stretching out. He groaned with delight as he felt his back pop in a wave of relief. Closing the door, he headed into the cozy looking home-style roadside café.

A neon "Open" sign greeted him as he went through the door and was instantly greeted with the aroma of fresh food cooking on the stove. A few content and already sated customers inquisitively looked up when the doorbell rang at Dean's entrance, while others were too enamored with their own food and company to pay much attention. Dean's stomach grumbled with the promise of food, and he crossed the checker-tiled floor to an open red-leather seat booth with a dim light hanging overhead.

Dean took to looking out the window of his booth to the calm darkness of the night. He often enjoyed nights like these, when for once everything seemed at peace, and even the universe appeared to be in harmony with itself if even for a moment.

The clack of blunt heels against the ceramic floor tiles brought Dean out of his trance as he looked up to greet the incomer. A woman that glowed with beauty and a vitality that screamed youth greeted Dean, as her cherry red lips spread into a pretty smile to show off her impossibly white and straight teeth. She was a petite and fair skinned beauty, hidden by gaudy waitress clothes, but somehow made even the lemon-yellow color of her button up blouse and skirt appear like sunshine in a storm.

Dean smiled back at the girl as she gave him a flirty smile, and she then nervously brushed the fallen strands of her auburn brown messy bun out of her face. Dean thought she was beautiful, yes, but wasn't feeling up to any flings or relationships at the moment, after what happened with his last one.

"What can I get for ya, honey?" The girl asked with the gentle lilt of a Midland American accent, bringing out a notepad and pen from the pocket of her apron.

"I am inclined to tell you that the house special is a grilled burger over an open flame with freshly baked fries, and a substitutable side of a garden salad or baked beans, if you please." She said with that same flirty smile.

Dean leaned forward with his head propped on one of his hands and gave a similar smile to humor the girl. An eyebrow rose with his knowing look of the game she was playing.

"The house special with beans sounds just fine, thank you very much. But tell me, sweetie, what's for dessert?" He asked with a smirk. It was a genuine question, but also a jab at trying to fluster the girl as well. Dean purposefully eyed up and down her body to prove his point.

"Cause, right now, I think I see what I want." He said with a wink to the girl.

The waitress took the bait and a bright blush red enough to rival her lipstick spread across her pale cheeks. She was persistent though and flirted right back.

She leaned forward and whispered into his ear, "Cherry pie with a dollop of whipped cream, if that's what you're into."

Dean leaned back and quirked a smile, amused by the exchange. The girl had spunk, he'd give her that, and if his breakup had been perhaps even a week sooner, he might've thought of entertaining the notion of a fling with her.

"As a matter of fact, I am into that." Dean answered back. "However, I think I'm in more of an apple pie kind of mood tonight, if you've got that, darling." He said.

The waitress looked at him for a few seconds, recognizing the turned down offer. She gave him a hint of a sad smile before nodding and writing down the order.

"Coming right up, sugar." She said, before turning back towards the kitchen, walking away with the clacking of her heels once more.

Dean sighed softly before returning to his prior activity of staring out at the night sky. He wondered what had gotten into himself. Usually he would have jumped right at the opportunity of a rebound or one-time fling without strings attached, especially after the kind of week he had had. But Stephanie had struck a chord in him. He had cared about the girl a great deal, and it had hurt to walk in on her cheating.

'_I can't pretend I'm not getting older as well,' _Dean thought to himself. _'And lately I can't get the thought of Saturday barbecues, a white picket fence, and two rascals running around out of my head. Damn, what I wouldn't give to settle down…' _His thoughts trailed off.

Most of the friends he had, had already settled down and married beautiful girls and had a child or two by this point. Dean couldn't ignore the fact that lately anytime he called his brother or had friends over, they'd be asking when they'd be hearing church bells or if Dean had legitimate plans to settle down and get a nine-to-five job, instead of working the odd hours of a police officer. Even Benny Lafitte, one of his friends at his former police firm, had settled down and moved away to live with his boyfriend.

Dean inwardly frowned at the memory of Benny. They kept in contact from time to time, and Dean was one of the few friends Benny had trusted enough to tell that he was in a romantic relationship with another man. Everyone else at the station just believed Benny had gotten tired of the job and moved away to find something bigger and better.

'_Poor sap, with the hysteria the country is going through…Old fool can't even get an official marriage. Can't imagine going through that kind of hell.' _Dean shook his head at these thoughts. It was something Dean was glad he didn't have to go through, but he did feel for his friend. He shivered at remembering some of the few choice words his own father had spat just before kicking the bucket, when stories of Stonewall hit the news.

It's not that thoughts of settling down and marriage weren't thoughts that ran through Dean's head, however, it's just he had wanted to save up a bit of money and make sure he had found "the one", instead of rushing off into a big wedding.

The freckled man stared into the eyes of his own reflection and fingered at a small box in the pockets of his jeans. Being his girlfriend for a little over a year, Dean had seriously felt that Stephanie was the one.

What a load of bullshit that thought turned out to be.

The sound of heels clacking against perpetually loud tile brought Dean back out of his musings, and he turned to see the waitress from earlier bringing back a tray with his food and a glass of water on it. He pulled his hand out from his pocket and set both on the table in front of himself, accepting the food given to him.

"One flame-grilled burger, fries, and a side of beans with a fresh glass of ice water, just for you hon." The waitress said with a kind smile, losing all of her flirty nature from earlier. Placing the tray under her arm, she gave a slight nod.

"Thank you awful much, sweetheart." Dean said with a smile to the girl. The kind waitress gave another nod, before turning to leave.

"Dessert will be out shortly, along with your bill." She finished, before turning and walking off once more.

Dean watched her as she left, before turning and picking up his burger, taking a large bite into the meat. The man groaned softly in delight as the flavor of fresh burger with even an added extra slice of bacon washed across his taste buds. Heaven may not be real, but Dean would be damned if he didn't think that he hadn't just taken a bite of it.

Having nothing better to do while he ate, Dean decided to take that moment to look around at his surroundings in detail, for the first time. The café really was quaint and dainty, but in an endearing way. Little lamps lit each corner of the room as soft tunes filled the room from the jukebox in the back of the room. Quiet conversations filled the remaining silence as those with company talked about the small things in life, just enjoying each other's presence. A small juice bar with red stools sat at the front of the room where those looking for something to drink could get refills on anything they ordered, and pictures of modern music legends filled the open spaces of the baby blue wallpapered walls. The floor was a classic black and white checkered-tile pattern, while the seating arrangements varied from red leather booths to wooden chairs and tables. All in all, it felt homey.

Dean continued to study his surroundings before someone in the distance caught his attention. A man that appeared to be only slightly older than Dean stood up from his seat and walked over to the jukebox, plugging in a coin before the soft chords of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" filled the room. Some diners noticeably groaned at the immensely popular song, while others gave an appreciative nod at the selection.

'_There's a lady who's sure, all that glitters is gold, and she's buying a stairway to heaven…'_ The melodic notes sounded out.

Dean quirked an impressed eyebrow, obviously being one of the appreciators. The self-proclaimed music selector caught his attention though, and Dean found himself studying him from the corner of his eye.

The man had clean raven-black hair that seemed soft to the touch and looked like it would forever suffer from a case of bed-head. On a closer examination, it seemed to glow with hints of brown and red highlights when any light refracted from it at the right angle. Stubble made its home on a strong jaw line, and a black leather jacket covered broad shoulders while a pair of ripped jeans and handed down cowboy boots covered his lower half and feet. When he turned to look at Dean, who had forgotten he was trying to hide his assessing of the mystery man, he was instantly enraptured by deep, royal blue eyes that embodied the essence of clear waters on a cloudless day. He looked like trouble, in all the right ways.

'_There's a sign on the wall, but she wants to be sure, 'cause you know sometimes words have two meanings…In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings, sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiving…' _The song trailed in the distance.

Dean did a double take at his own thoughts and coughed awkwardly and looked away when he realized he had been caught. The mystery man paid no mind to it though, and a hint of a smile graced his lips when he walked past Dean, back to his own table. The blue-eyed man went back to talking to the other man and woman at his table, biting into a fry drenched in ketchup and quietly laughing at something the two must have said. The second guy had slightly longer brown hair parted to the side, wore flannel over a plain shirt, and seemed to radiate a cocky vibe that was only enhanced by the crap eating grin he seemed to be flashing the mystery man. The woman seemed the lesser annoying of the two of blue eyes' friends, but at the same time seemed to emanate a constant supply of energy and enthusiasm that couldn't be quenched. She had dark red hair and also wore plaid and jeans; perhaps they were lumberjacks stopping in from a local lumberjack convention.

Dean huffed in his seat, rolling his eyes at himself as he finished up his burger, fries, and beans.

When the waitress came back bearing the gift of pie and a bill, Dean found small reprieve in the sweet treat. Something had soured in his stomach and he found himself feeling slightly more drained now than when he first arrived at the diner. Occasionally he met the eye of the blue-eyed man when he had been finishing his food, and he felt confused, more than anything.

'_If the guy has something to say to me, then he needs to just get on and say it.' _Dean had grumbled to himself.

The Winchester grabbed his pie, asking for a box to take it home in and went to the front cashier at the juice bar to pay for the bill, after setting a quarter down as a tip for the waitress. She may have been initially persistent, but Dean had still admired her spunk.

When he got to the cashier, he noted the bored expression on the elderly looking man but paid no mind to it. It seemed a lot of people were in irritable moods lately.

"Hey, can you give me a dollar's worth on pump number two?" Dean asked neutrally. If the old man was going to be sour, he didn't see why he had to go out of his way to be nice for the both of them.

The old man nodded and took the dollar, before also accepting the dollar and thirty-five cents it took to cover Dean's dinner. Dean bid the man a goodbye with a wave of his hand, before he walked towards the door.

Noticing that he'd have to go directly past the blue-eyed man's table in order to exit, Dean sighed and turned his gaze straight ahead. He wasn't going to let some stranger unnerve him into not even being able to exit a simple door.

The black-haired man glanced at Dean, as expected, when he went through the door, but didn't do anything else.

When Dean finally made it outside, he stood out in the parking lot for a second, pie in one hand, car keys in the other, and took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet, brisk air of the summer night. He stared up at the stars for a second before turning to the gas pump and grabbing the nozzle to fill up his car. It had been one hell of a week, and all he wanted in this moment was to fall asleep in a shitty motel bed and forget about his sorrows.

When his car was done filling up on gas, Dean put the nozzle back and climbed into his car before turning the keys in to start the ignition. He heaved a sigh of relief when he felt the soothing rumble of the engine through the seat and dash of his car. Placing his arms and head on the steering wheel, Dean sat there for a moment, taking a second to think and process what to do next. He had no family that lived in the area, and any friends he had, he didn't want to burden them with the addition of his presence. He needed to look for another job, and most importantly, a place to live until he got back on his feet.

'_I suppose if worst comes to worst, I can just live inside the Impala for a few months until I work up enough money to afford a permanent home. Sleeping's gonna be a bitch in here though.' _He thought dejectedly.

With those thoughts in mind, Dean sat up and put his car into drive, pulling out into the open road once more, in search of the nearest motel.

Small dips and valleys in the earth encompassed the poorly paved road as Dean drove on. He had been driving for another solid half an hour and still had not seen any sign of advertisements for nearby temporary living arrangements. Small houses every now and then could be seen off in the distance, but the man had no intention of going out of his way to strike up any shady agreements just to get a good night's sleep.

He was just about to call it quits for the night when he passed by a long driveway and couldn't react quick enough to brake and stop his car from plowing into the medium sized truck emerging from the driveway, without any taillights on to alert Dean of its appearance.

Dean let out a shrill yell as he slammed on the brakes, but it was too late as his car clipped into the bed of the truck, sending the Impala and Dean in it spiraling a few more feet down the road, and denting the front of the car and bed of the truck.

When the car finally stopped spinning, Dean was gasping heavily for air and clutching to the steering wheel for dear life, with his head pressed to the wheel once more. He had his eyes clamped shut as he willed the blood to stop rushing in his ears and for his heart to stop pounding out of his chest.

The initial shock finally subsided after a few moments, and Dean rubbed a palm down his face before looking around the inside of his car to see if any damage had made its way to the inside. Seeing none, Dean unbuckled his seatbelt and exited the car, closing his eyes as he prepared himself for the damage he knew he would see on the exterior. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and gulped upon seeing his baby in its injured state.

The paint job had been ruined in the front, the headlight on the right was dangling from a few cords, and part of the front grill was dented in. Dean ran his hands through his hair before throwing them down quickly.

"Son of a bitch!" The man yelled in anger, livid that he, for one, had not paid close enough attention to notice the truck backing out of the driveway, and then also knowing that he'd have to pay out more money than he could probably afford at the moment.

"You're telling me, son." A voice sounded from behind Dean, that was gruff and meant business. "Now, would ya mind enlightening me what in God's green Earth a boy such as yourself is doing, speeding down these highways at this unholy time of the night, and ignoring their _surroundings_, you enormous idjit!" The man steadily rose in tone until he was yelling himself.

Dean winced as he turned around to face the man, not wanting to face his wrath, but knowing there was no other way. He ran another nervous hand through his hair, eyeing the man in a red shirt, jean jacket, and trucker's hat, before attempting to pull off a charming smile.

"Sir, I am terribly sorry. I've had a really rough past couple of days, and I was in a rush to find some place to crash and didn't see you pulling out." Dean tried to quickly explain.

"Crash? Well good fucking job on that, you idiot. You sure as hell did a number on my truck, by rushing and crashing into the wrong place." The man said in return. It was obvious that Dean's boyish charm wasn't going to save him this time, so Dean conceded defeat and dropped his hands, grabbing his wallet.

"How much do I owe you? Give me a second and I can grab my credit information from my car as well, Mister, ahh…." Dean trailed off with a sigh. This day couldn't get worse.

"Singer. Robert Singer, but all my friends call me Bobby." The old man said, before scoffing with a slight humorless laugh. "Not that it matters to you though son. At this moment, I'd rather be friends with a decomposing rat, than you. I mean seriously, are you _that_ blind?" He asked incredulously.

Something in Dean snapped at Bobby's words. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe it was the long week, or maybe he was done with everyone and everything. In any case, he found himself not caring anymore what this old geriatric thought.

"Okay, listen here _old man_. You're acting like this is my entire fault when you're just as much to blame for this as I am." Dean started in on him. "I already fucking apologized for crashing into you, and I offered to pay everything; what more do you want?! My car gained just as much damage as yours, if not more. Do you see my baby? You can see her insides!" Dean yelled right back, pointing to the front of his car to broadcast the damage and emphasize the light hanging out of the car.

"Yes, my actions were negligent, but do you really want to keep bickering about this like a bunch of teens, or do you want to accept my damn offer before I decide to say screw it and let the insurance companies take care of this?" The freckled man seethed.

Bobby stared after a Dean with a look of icy contempt and anger. Never in his life had he met someone so rude and unruly.

"Five hundred." Bobby said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Dean stopped mid tirade to blink at the old man, not quite understanding if he had heard him correctly or not. Surely he was not hearing this.

"Wait, did you just say five-hundred? As in five-hundred _dollars_?" Dean asked incredulously.

Bobby scoffed before standing his ground.

"What are you deaf as well as a blind idiot? I surely didn't mean five-hundred pennies, nickels, or cantaloupes."

Dean stood there with his mouth agape, completely in shock. Five hundred dollars was more than he made in a few months, let alone an amount he had stored up or just on hand.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I barely have thirty dollars to my name, I just got fired today, and I don't even have a place to live anymore because of my bitch ex-girlfriend. How the hell am I supposed to give you five hundred dollars?!" Dean almost had an aneurysm at the thought. Five hundred dollars would have had to have been the sum of earnings, for the solid past half a year or so. There was no way he could pay that back.

"Well then, I do presume you should get a job and start saving up." Bobby retorted.

Dean just looked on in dismal despair, absolutely floored at the idea of having to pay five hundred dollars of what would equate to a small fender-bender for the old man. Dean's car had taken the brunt of the accident.

"It's… a little harder than just getting a job …" Dean said more to himself than anyone else.

Bobby had caught on however and eyed the expression of the man in front of him. The man looked young to him, in fit health, and while cocky and brash on the outside, he seemed to have a good heart. Call it intuition, but the older man could read a person like no other. Bobby sighed with the knowledge of what he was about to do.

"About ten miles from here, if you keep going straight and then take the first left, you'll find Singer Farms. Be there at ten o'clock sharp in the morning. I don't like tardiness, and you're already walking on thin ice, idjit." Bobby said finally.

Dean looked up at the man with an astounded expression. If he had heard Bobby correctly, the man had just offered him a job- something he had been looking for from the moment he was discharged from the police force.

"Are you…Are you seriously offering me a job?" Dean asked with a bright sense of hope.

"Don't get used to it son, but I do have a good heart." The older man started. "You'll be working for me until you pay off your five-hundred-dollar debt. I'll let you park your car in my yard for you to sleep in tonight, and then in the morning you'll go to Singer Farms to start your first day. From then on, you'll be lodging in the workers' cabins there and working every day except Sundays." Bobby said.

Dean couldn't really believe what he was hearing. To hear he was being given a job to pay for their damages was one thing, but to hear that he'd also be provided lodging was a completely different thing.

"Thank you…Mr. Singer. That is… very kind of you…" Dean trailed off, still surprised at his turn of luck.

Bobby rolled his eyes before heading back to his car.

"It's Bobby. I feel old being referred to as "Mr. Singer" anyways. Mr. Singer was my father after all. Now follow me so you can rest up. I hope you like horses; you'll be dealing with a lot of those for the next while." Bobby said.

Dean raised his eyebrows at the news, before shrugging it off to get in his car to start it up as well. Beggars can't be choosers, and the fact that Bobby wasn't pressing charges was a miracle in itself. Starting up his car, he was pleased to find it still purring just as it always did; the damage seemed to be mainly external. Dean followed Bobby's car into his driveway until the older man stopped to park and exited back out of the truck. Before Dean could do much, the older man was already at his rolled down window.

"Get some rest, son. You're gonna need it. Remember, ten o'clock sharp. Don't be late." The man with the trucker hat said, before heading up the long driveway to his own house.

Dean blinked a little before smiling slightly and sighing in relief. As he reclined his seat back, Dean already felt himself starting to drift off into sleep. It had been one hell of a week, and he couldn't be more eager for sleep and a chance at new beginnings.


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of a rooster yelling, and nauseating sunlight were the first things Dean woke up to the next morning. He groaned in annoyance as he slowly lifted himself into a sitting position, arching himself to attempt to pop his aching back. '_Thank god for that crash I guess. My back would never be able to survive months of this._' He thought to himself.

Yawning slightly and rubbing the crust from his eyes, Dean looked at the watch on his wrist before a moment of sheer panic came over him.

"Nine-twelve…SHIT! I'm gonna be late!" Dean yelled out, immediately in a frenzy. It wouldn't do well for him to be late on the first day, Bobby had said as much, and he was already on thin ice with him as it was.

Shoving his keys into ignition once more, the man tried desperately to start up his car. It seemed luck was not on his side however as the engine kept stalling; apparently more damage had been done to his car than he thought.

Yelling out his frustration, the man quickly stripped off the shirt he was wearing to replace it with a cleaner one he had in the pile of clothes in his backseat. Jumping out of his car, he quickly slammed the door shut before taking off in a sprint in the direction Bobby had directed him last night. Dust blew up with the wind as he ran down the dusty road.

Luckily all the training he had from the police force he had retained, but he would still be a few minutes late if he didn't pick up the pace. Dean's lungs burned, and he started sweating profusely as he continued down the lonely road.

The minutes ticked by as Dean continued his brutal pace, cursing himself for oversleeping on such a critical day. It was with great relief and few happy choice words uttered when the man finally came upon the split in the road that Bobby had directed him to turn left at. Fueled with determination more than ever before, he gasped out shuddering breaths as he pushed himself even further.

"Nine fifty-nine…I'll make it!" He cried out after looking at his watch and seeing the gates of the old man's ranch in the distance. A few men paused at the entrance of the ranch as they walked by, having spotted Dean's frantic form. It was with great enthusiasm and happiness that Dean sobbed his relief when he stumbled through the forbearing of Singer Farms.

Crashing to his hands and knees, he was a spectacular sight to behold for a few passerby as the seemingly strange man gasped for air with glistening skin from the sunlight. He looked truly like a mess with his sweat soaked shirt and hair sticking to his forehead, and some of the men voiced their surprise and concern as they dropped their bales of hay to go check on the man.

To one man in the distance however, he was a spectacle to behold. Dropping his shears and hay as well, he went to the gated entrance to see what the commotion was about and why the man was collapsed.

Dean winced in pain as his breathing labored and only worsened, and he felt his throat constrict, stilling the air he was trying to breathe. He wheezed pitifully as he tried to look up and request for help. The other men looked at each other frantically as they realized something wasn't right.

"Shit, you okay man? What's wrong?" One man called out, dropping down beside him. Two others followed suit and tried to pat Dean's back to no success.

"Dude, I think he's trying to say something! What is it, what can we do?" Another called out.

Dean gasped horribly and fell into a coughing fit, looking at them frantically as he felt his throat close up even more. _'Goddammit, you knew this would happen, Winchester! No job is worth pushing yourself this far!'_ He yelled at himself inside his mind. Clutching a hand to his throat, he continued to cough as he pressed his head to the ground and tried to calm himself down.

Hearing the man's gasping coughs, the one hay carrier sprinted in the direction of the man on the ground, and dropped to his knees to slide to him, yelling at the other men to give them space. The others backed off as he gently took ahold of the collapsed figure into his arms and flipped him to be upright and with his back pressed to his chest.

Dean, following along easily, wearily looked up at the man who was handling him, and his eyes widened in realization of it being the mysterious blue-eyed guy at the restaurant. Small world after all, he supposed.

That only offered a moment's reprieve from the problem at hand however, as Dean took rasping breaths and looked at the blue-eyed man in fear.

The mysterious man gave him a calming and beautiful smile, in a reassuring gesture. Setting his hand on Dean's chest, he began to rub calming circles from his breast bone to the start of his throat as his other hand pushed Dean to sit up by himself slightly and worked on rubbing soothing circles to his back and lung area.

"Dear, I need you to focus on my voice please. You have asthma, don't you?" He asked calmly.

Dean could only nod shakily as he rasped for more air and focused on the man's voice and the ministrations being worked into him.

The man gave a small chuckle, and continued, shaking his head.

"And from the looks of it and ripe musk of you, I can imagine you ran quite the distance, didn't you?" He asked. Dean could do no more than just nod his head once again.

A small sigh escaped the man as he adjusted himself to be closer to Dean, as he pulled him into the open space between his legs on the ground.

"What kind of stupidity could cause you to do such a thing is all I can wonder, dear. What with you having this condition, probably without medicine at the moment and you're running around trying to kill yourself it seems." The man said in a slightly admonishing, motherly tone.

Dean just focused on the man's voice and touch and was surprised to find he did feel like he was thrown back into the past and in the gentle care of his youth when he experienced these attacks frequently.

The man behind him continued his ministrations, as he spoke in that same gruff, yet soothing baritone Dean had quickly come to know. Dean found himself enraptured in the man's voice and leaning back into the touch as he let his eyes flutter shut to focus on the calming effects the man had on him.

"That's it hon, just relax. You're safe and alright, I got you…" The man said, gently soothing him. "Listen to my voice and take slower breaths…Yeah that's right…In for three, out for four… There you go, just like that…" He continued like that for a minute or so more before Dean was finally taking calm breaths on his own.

When Dean finally was in a rational state of mind and able to breathe alright again, it instantly dawned on him what position he was in and how it looked. He jumped forward at that moment and whipped around to look at his resuscitator as a blush slowly spread across his cheeks, remembering that it was, in fact, a _man_ that just brought him back like that. Some of the men that were around to ensure Dean's health, and had witnessed the scene, gave a slight shake of their heads and a concerned look, looking in the mysterious man's direction as if they suspected something that Dean obviously didn't.

"Well, now that we know you're alright son…." One of them started. "We'll leave ya to it." Another continued, before the small group tapered off.

Dean blinked in astonishment, staring at the man as they sat together on the ground, in shock and alarm. The man gave a small smile, nodding his head in acknowledgment, but surprisingly silent. It was as if all courage that had been given to him with the incident had suddenly left him.

Dean continued to stare a moment longer before the sound of shouting in the distance brought him back to where he was. Now being able to recognize the old voice anywhere, he sighed softly, knowing he was about to get an earful.

"Where the hell is that idjit! What does he think he was doing, trying to get himself killed like that, oh when I find him…" The voice trailed off as Dean looked towards where it was coming and jumped to his feet in shock and worry as he saw the owner of it barrel towards him.

Standing at attention, Dean gulped slightly as he looked down at the red face of Bobby Singer. The man with the trucker hat gave himself a few seconds to compose himself before speaking.

"Son…" He started off wearily. "I know this situation may not have been ideal, but _please_, do not go trying to get yourself killed on the first day." Bobby seemed impossibly older as he took that moment to sigh and rub a hand down his face.

"You had me scared shitless, boy. Imagine my surprise when one of my farmhands came rushing in to tell me a face they had never seen before was collapsed in an attack just inside our gates. I just knew you _had _to be the only idjit to do something like put yourself in an attack. Asthma, was it?" He asked.

Dean gave a slight nod and looked down in shame.

"Yes sir…I can explain though. You see, I overslept a bit and when my car wouldn't start up…I panicked and ran the whole way." He says with a cringe, realizing how stupid it sounded now that he thought about it. "I'm sorry, sir." Dean relented sadly, bowing his head.

Bobby stared at the man who had just enough lack of a brain cell to not think about his actions before he had done them. Seeing that he felt truly reprehensible for his actions, however, the man relented with a shake of his head and a small laugh.

"I gotta admit, you got spunk kid. I like that." He says with an appreciative nod. Bobby looked over at the man still sitting on the ground at that moment, watching the scene curiously and who obviously seemed to not know what to do in that moment. He gave him a smile before looking back up at Dean.

"And I suppose Cas here was the one to save you, huh?" He shook his head once more with a slight smile. "Cas always was of the nurturing type, weren't ya son?" He asked.

The man, who Dean now understands as "Cas", finally looked up at that moment and gave his boss a kind smile before standing to his feet and dusting his pants off.

"Anything to help a kindly stranger in need, sir." Cas said, his attitude doing a complete 360. Gone was the quick thinking and overly soothing and sweet man that saved Dean. It was replaced by what appeared to be an awkward, albeit kind, man that seemed to want to get out of there as soon as possible; or at least be away from his boss' scrutinizing gaze.

Dean quirked his eyebrow once noticing the change but took that moment to look at 'Cas' and truly study him up close for the first time.

Up close and personal, the Winchester noticed he was a man of average build and stature, but there seemed to be something about him that just gave him an ethereal glow. Although shorter than himself, Cas was dazzling under the sunlight, and his eyes seemed brighter than they ever were under the light bulbs of the restaurant.  
The man still had that bedraggled hair and days' worth of scruff, but Dean noticed for the first time a muscled frame that wasn't apparent when covered by a leather jacket. The cowboy boots and ripped jeans still remained, but after a morning's worth of work, an aura of pride and hard-earned sweat emanated from him. Dean chose to ignore his assessment of the man in favor of sticking out his hand in appreciation.

Cas blinked in confusion before understanding dawned upon him, and he took it and shook it with a smile.

Dean returned the smile and gave a nod of appreciation. "Thank you for helping me this morning. God knows what would've happened if you hadn't been there." He said.

Cas gave a chuckle that lit up the features of his face, before shaking his head.

"You'd probably either be passed out from lack of air or six feet under, once someone discovered your body. In any case, it wasn't a problem sir." He replied, giving Dean a reassuring smile.

"Dean Winchester. But please, just call me Dean." Dean replied with a smile of his own.

Cas laughed openly and nodded. "Alright, Dean. You got it."

Dean looked back to Bobby, who he remembered was still standing there. The older man looked amused before just shaking his head with a smile himself.

"Alright Castiel, since you're already here, I'm appointing you to train Dean today. Show him the ropes, get him started, and for god's sake get him some grub first and a new shirt. I don't need him passing out again nor causing any of my other workers to pass out from his stench." Bobby said with a laugh.

Dean gave an indignant "Hey" before shaking his head and turning to Castiel once Bobby walked off, while still laughing.

Cas shook his head and ran a hand through his hair before he looked to Dean to nod his head in the direction of a large mess hall building and some smaller looking buildings nearby.

"Follow me please, Dean. I will be your personal tour guide for the day, and apparently your trainer, too." The man said, already heading off in the direction of the section of small cabin-like buildings.

"So your full name is Castiel, huh? I think I've heard it before, but maybe only once." Dean quickly caught up to the man and walked in stride with him. Cas looked up at him before giving a smirk.

"A 'slight' bible reader, huh? I imagine it'd sound a little familiar if you're religious. My mom was a fanatic herself, however. I guess I was named after an angel of some sort, if I remember correctly." He said with a smile, placing his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"My full name is Castiel Shurley. And before you ask- no, I do not really follow my mom's inclinations."

Dean looked over at the man and quirked his head. He himself was no preacher, but he did try to attend church every Sunday at least. Although, if he was being honest with himself, he only did it for appearances. He himself really had no idea what to think on the matter any longer, not after what happened to his brother's girlfriend from his early college years. The poor girl died in a too horrific matter, and his brother remained broken for far too long. Being raised in a small community where church was one of the only constants in his early life however, it was one of the few things he knew, so it was surprising to find a man that publicly did not have inclinations towards religion.

"I wasn't really gonna ask, but that's cool to know." Dean replied, thinking over everything that's happened so far. It's already been far too long a day for his liking.

Soon they were in front of rows of small cabins that looked comfortable to house in. Castiel led Dean to one labeled '18' and walked up the stone steps before opening the door for Dean and standing to the side.

Dean entered the room and looked around curiously. It really was a quaint room, with a single bed and dresser next to it, and a writing desk presiding against the wall across from the bed. A small window was across from the bed as well that allowed sunlight to stream in. From the clothes strewn everywhere, it was apparent Cas must have had a rushed morning as well. Dean looked back at the man who entered and headed straight towards his dresser.

"I think I may have one dress shirt that will fit you. Since you have yet to be fitted for a uniform, this will have to do." The man said, lifting a shirt that looked like it'll just barely fit Dean.

"That's fine, man. Again I can't thank you enough for all you've already done for me, so a shirt is the least of my concerns. Anything will work." He said with a smile, catching the shirt proffered to him.

"It was really of no trouble. I am just glad I got you in time to be able to help you." Cas said with a bit of cheer in his tone.

Dean chuckled at that and stripped off his sweat soaked shirt, balling it up and setting it to the ground momentarily. Cas blinked a bit at that and stared at the younger man's bared chest before turning away with a blush.

Once dressed and ready to go, Dean grabbed his old shirt and stuffed a corner of it into his pants. Casting Cas a cheeky grin, he headed towards the door.

"C'mon man, where's that food I've been hearing about? I dunno about you, but I am starved!" He said with a bright grin and small laugh.

Standing in the sunlight from the doorway like that, Cas didn't think he'd ever seen a more ironically holy visage and lost himself in the sight of a man that promised nothing for the future, but every bit of the present. Shaking his head, he trailed after the exuberant blonde.

Closing the door on the way out, Cas looked towards the sky.

'_This man may turn me religious yet, for the Lord must be testing me...'_


	3. Chapter 3

Sunlight streamed through the mess-hall as Dean entered the building, and Cas followed shortly behind him, closing the door along the way. A few heads turned towards them upon hearing the door open and close, and Dean looked around with a nod in greeting. As they walked towards the line to get lunch on the far side of the building, a new voice caught their attention.

"Cassie, Cassie there you are! Did you hear about the numbskull that passed out at the gates this morning, it's all around the farm!" An energetic voice shouted out, coming closer. Dean rose an eyebrow at that and stopped to turn and look at the newcomer, who was stopped right in front of them now and looked a bit sheepish at having realized the man he was talking about was right in front of him. Dean quickly recognized the short man as the same guy he had also seen in the diner the night before, sitting next to Cas. He quirked an eyebrow at the nickname the guy had given Cas however, and turned to Castiel with an inquisitive look.

"'Cassie', huh? That's a new one." He said with a hint of a smile. "So which one am I supposed to really call you?" Dean asked with a bit of a laugh.

Castiel's cheeks slowly turned a pale shade of pink as he sent a glare to the increasingly nervous looking newcomer.

"Cas or Castiel will be just fine, Dean. And I would be highly appreciative if my oh so elegant brother would be willing to adhere to my wishes and call me either of those as well." The raven-haired man said, crossing his arms over his chest.

The short brunette just chuckled nervously and rubbed a hand through his hair before steeling himself and sending a shit-eating grin to his brother.

"But what would be the fun in that? You know it is my duty to make you feel welcome and loved, little bro." The man then threw his arm over Castiel's shoulder with a grin, leaving him in an awkward pose due to the height difference.

It took a second to register before Dean quickly looked between the two with a stare of confusion.

"Wait, little brother? You two are related?" He asked in surprise.

Castiel let out a sigh before giving up and relaxing into the shoulder hug.

"Unfortunately, yes. Although not by blood. My father was very involved in the community and often took in foster children that needed homes." Cas explained.

Dean nodded in understanding. "So this shortstack here was adopted when you were younger and you're related through that, right?"

Castiel and the shorter brunette looked at each other before the shorter man turned to Dean with a hint of an empathetic look.

"Not exactly… You see, our dad is my biological dad, but not Cassie's." He said, earning another pointed glare from the younger brother due to the nickname.

"I was adopted, while Gabriel here had lived in that home his entire life. My biological parents are long gone." Castiel explained with a slight shrug. "My life as a Novak, before the life I had with the Shurleys, is one I don't try too hard to remember. The Shurleys gave me a warm bed, roof to live under, food to eat, and love when I needed it. That's all that really matters."

The Winchester winced slightly at the realization he was way off the mark and felt bad for assuming.

"Damn, I'm sorry man. I didn't know." He said in a genuine apology. He didn't know what happened with Castiel's biological family, but he knew better than to prod in tender subjects.

Cas just shrugged once more and gave a reassuring smile.

"It's fine, really. You didn't know, and plus it's not something that really bothers me too much anymore."

Dean nodded in understanding and dropped the subject before turning back to Gabriel and giving a chuckle.

"So you're his older brother? I'm surprised you two are working in the same business." He said with a hint of curiosity. Usually siblings didn't follow each other in the same line of business or jobs.

Gabriel stood up straighter and looked on proudly. "How else am I supposed to make sure my little bro is not getting himself into trouble? I gotta protect him from all the bad guys out there, you know?" He said, ruffling the blue-eyed man's hair fondly.

Castiel heaved a slight sigh and shook his head, the slight blush returning. "I'll be fine on my own you know…" He mumbled under his breath before looking between the two. "Oh, my apologies, I haven't introduced you two to each other. Dean, you already know this is Gabe. But Gabe, this is Dean Winchester, the "numbskull" that's the new gossip all over the farm apparently." He said with a shit eating grin himself, knowing Gabriel would fall back into embarrassment.

His plan worked perfectly, and soon Cas' older brother was letting go of his shoulder, blushing himself, and rubbing his hand through his hair nervously.

"Yeah, about that…Sorry, Dean-o. No hard feelings? We don't get much excitement around here, if you couldn't tell." The man explained, looking a bit bashful. Dean just shook his head with a smile.

"No hard feelings, it's alright. I imagine I probably did stir quite a few people with the entrance I made."

"Yeah, it's not too often we see sweaty men collapsing in the entrance to our humble farm. But that's in the past now. How about we get you some food?" Gabriel said, before pulling his brother's arm and shoving him into Dean with a laugh.

"Cassie, be a dear and show freckles the food, alright? I got a date with Betsy I've been aching on getting to." He said, pulling the horse brush from the holster on his belt. He gave his younger brother a wink, glancing between the two, and then a salute as he ran off and out of the cafeteria.

Castiel spluttered as he regained his footing and quickly righted himself, out of the hold Dean had him captured in when the push Gabriel gave him had caused him to fall into the taller man.

"S-Sorry!" He quickly yelled out after righting himself, straightening the barely noticeable wrinkles in his clothing. Dean gave a laugh before patting the man's back.

"Hey, it's alright man. Your brother did literally shove you into me after all." He said with a smile, before turning towards the line for food. "Care to get some food with me?"

Castiel looked at him intently for a few seconds, before giving a small smile himself and nodding.

"I haven't heard a better idea all day." He said, following the blonde as they made their way through the line for food.

"So…Castiel and Gabriel, huh? Got any other angelic siblings I should know about?" Dean asked with a teasing lilt in his voice. He figured Cas' family really must have liked the Bible, given the namesakes.

Castiel turned to him and handed him a tray with a laugh.

"Oh, you have no idea. It's a wonder we don't have a brother named Jesus himself." He said, handing him some cutlery that had been laid out as well.

"I have a few more siblings, yes. Michael, Lucifer, but we call her Luci, Samandriel, Anna, and Raphael just to name some of them. They're all older than me though, except for Sam. Sammy just turned seventeen this past year." Cas said with a fond smile. It was obvious he had deep connections with his family, which was endearing to know.

"Sammy, huh? I have a Sam myself. He's my younger brother as well, and I couldn't be prouder of him." Dean said with a fond smile, before something clicked to him.

"Hey…not to be intrusive, but isn't Lucifer a guy's name though?" The Winchester asked in confusion. Castiel was quiet for a few moments before he set down his tray on the counter and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and handed a small family picture to Dean. In it was a picture of all of Castiel's siblings, with himself in the front next to Gabriel. Cas pointed to a person directly to the left of himself and gave a smile. Next to Cas was Lucifer, or rather Luci, in a nice formal dress for the occasion, short but styled hair, and a hint of makeup with her arm wrapped around Castiel's shoulder, and a jubilant grin on her face as an obviously proud older sister; even through the dress, the body figure was apparent, however. Dean blinked a little before it finally set in. _'Ohh….'_

Castiel left the picture out for him to see for a few more moments before quickly putting it back away. Something in his demeanor had changed as he looked at Dean with a guarded expression.

"Look Dean, you seem awfully nice…But if I hear even a hint of disrespect or biased bigotry in your next words, then…" But Castiel was quickly cut off with a grin from Dean, and a hand on his shoulder.

"Cas, calm down buddy. All I saw in that picture was you happy, an ecstatic Gabriel, and a proud older sister on your left, with the rest of your siblings surrounding you. I thought it was a great picture." Dean said with a genuine smile. He didn't know Luci or the rest of Castiel and Gabriel's siblings, but he'd be damned if he even thought about judging someone for who they were. Ever since his father's passing, he made it his goal to live with the kind of understanding his father never once showed. He wanted to make his mother proud, the woman who told him to be himself and love who he was, not his father.

At hearing Dean's words, Castiel visibly relaxed and the smile he wore before returned.

"Thank you, Dean…you have no idea how much that means to me."

They both looked on at each other for a few moments, Dean with a kind and understanding smile on his face, and Cas with a similar smile, but one laced with growing adoration. He was definitely being tested, he was sure of it.

A cough from the man serving the food quickly interrupted them however, and they grabbed the bowls of soup and plates of sandwiches proffered to them, before heading to a table to sit and eat. They ate in a few moments of companionable silence before Dean finally broke the silence.

"So…how long you been working here? I can't help but wonder seeing as this is the second time I've seen you around in the span of a day."

Castiel reclined back in his seat and finished the bite of food he had in his mouth before responding.

"About ten years, give or take a year. Imagine my surprise though to see a familiar face the next morning after seeing the stranger around in this small town."

Dean chuckled before finishing his bite as well.

"Yeah, well I guess this is a small world. I had just lost my job and caught my girlfriend cheating on me, so decided to leave my town and try to start over."

"Oh, damn I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like you got at least one of those back though, considering you're working here now." Cas replied back.

"You are right, I guess. Although I don't see myself getting the other part back anytime, considering the almost inexistent female to male ratio here." Dean remarked back with a humored laugh.

Castiel looked away at this and stared out the window for a few seconds, as if in deep thought. He then turned back to Dean with a small smile.

"And you are right on that part as well. Although…if you're looking for company…there's a small neighborhood a few miles down the road if you go to the crossing and take the right instead of taking the left that leads to here. I'm sure the ladies over there would love to see a fresh face around." He said.

"Really? I suppose I'll have to check it out one of these days. Although, since you graciously told me about them…Do you have a girl around yonder?" Dean asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows. He was curious if the girl he saw at the table in the diner the night before happened to be Castiel's flame.

Castiel's cheeks seemed to heat up at this however, and he quickly shook his head no before taking a drink of his water.

"Ah, no. I myself haven't had much time for a girlfriend, nor did I ever see the need for one. I'm quite content tending to the horses around here for now."

Dean rose his eyebrows at this before leaning back once again. This was new to him; all of the friends he had in the past would have jumped at the opportunity to hook up with a girl, especially one in such a close range to their work.

"Looks like we'll have to fix that then. How about you accompany me to this place when we have some free time?" He asked. Castiel visibly stiffened at this and gave a slight shake of his head.

"No, I think I'll be fi-" "C'mon Cas, there's no harm in having some fun. Besides, I'm not familiar to these parts of the state. I need someone to show me around, if you'd be willing." Dean asked in almost a pleading voice. He was curious as to why Castiel seemed so averse to the idea, and really wanted to go exploring anyways.

Castiel gave a quiet sigh before finally acquiescing. "Fine. I'll show you around when we have some time, but that's it."

"We'll see about that. Thank you, Cas." Dean said before gathering his trash left over from his meal with his tray.

Cas nodded without saying another word as he finished him meal. Once he was done, he joined Dean in disposing their garbage. Stretching to relieve an ache in his back, Cas turned to Dean with a new smile.

"Now that food is out of the way, how about we get you started on your first day here at lovely Singer Farms. It shouldn't be too difficult to get you up to speed here."

"Sounds good to me, Cas. Let's get going!"

With enthusiasm and good nature, Dean sprinted out of the mess hall to start his first day. With a sigh and smile, Cas ran after the blond to make sure he wouldn't get lost.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, the first thing I'm going to teach you is how to groom the horses. Might as well get one of the harder things out the way first, right?"

Cas had finally caught up to Dean and led him to the stables that made Bobby's ranch renowned. After a bit of careful moving and laughter as Dean almost slid through a pile of horse dung that had yet to be taken care of from the morning rounds, they finally made it to the stall of a beautiful Clydesdale stallion.

"This is Sefir. He's my personal buddy and has a bit of stubborn streak to him." Cas said, gesturing Dean closer as he took out a brush from the work belt and pouch he had on.

"He doesn't really race anymore, but I still enjoy taking him out for strolls every once in a while when he's feeling up to it."

That piqued Dean's interest a bit. "So I'm assuming the majority of these horses are racing horses then?"

Gently working the brush through Sefir's mane, Cas briefly looked back at the man.

"Correct. Singer Farms houses people's horses that can't be kept on their owners' own properties. Most of those people are usually racers, and it's our jobs to take care of these beautiful creatures in their owners' absence." Cas said, continuing the gentle stroking motion through the stallion's mane. Sefir appeared to be enjoying it at the very least, having nudged into Cas' touch a few times.

"However, we also operate as a breeding farm as well, and sell high quality racing horses. Mr. Singer's farm is renowned in the racing community not only for the quality care of the horses, but also for the excellent quality of horses we sell or rent out as well." He paused to put away the brush when he was finished, and gently started stroking Sefir's head with his own fingers instead.

"If you stick around long enough, you'll see a man that goes by 'Crowley' stop by the farm as well. He does inspection for this farm, but also checks around for any stallion or mare that catches his eye to participate in racing competitions, as he's also a jockey coach." Cas explained.

Dean nodded with understanding before gently reaching out his hand to try and stroke through Sefir's mane as well. The horse jolted a little and seemed to fix Dean with a glare, before snuffling and relenting to the new man's ministrations. This caused Dean to smile some.

"I think I get it. So, we bathe the horses, brush their hair, and make sure they're in perfect shape for when their owners visit. Doesn't sound too hard." Dean said with a smile. If that is all he had to do while staying here, then it would be the easiest pay he'd earn in awhile.

Cas only laughed at that and smiled as he patted Sefir's head one last time.

"That's a simplified way of putting it, yes. But it's also so much more. Come with me." Cas said, exiting out of the stable and heading over to a pile of sacks near the entrance.

"Obviously we also feed and give them water as well. But we also have to clean their hooves, give them daily walks, free time in the pastures of which we also have to monitor, and keep an eye out on them during their ah, mating sessions." Cas carried the sack of horse feed over to Sefir's stable again and doled him out some food before returning and tossing the sack back into the pile.

"Honestly Cas, if watching two horses get it on is the worst thing I have to do at this farm, I think I'll be okay." Dean said once Cas returned.

Cas sighed softly before giving Dean a smile and set his hands on his hips.

"We're not going to have you do too much today as it's your first day. Grab one of those bags of feed and follow me."

Doing as told, Dean went over to the pile and grabbed one bag and followed along next to Cas.

"Since I'm imagining you're going to be here awhile, we might as well get you acquainted some with the horses." Cas said.

Going along down the line of stalls, Dean noticed a multitude of beautiful mares and stallions. They were of simple colors and patterns, but stunning, nonetheless.

"So I'm guessing you just want me to give them some food right now?" The blond asked.

"Yes, exactly. Those bags are about three pounds of grain and you're going to give one of these beauties the whole bag. Around here they get fed about four times a day and are given as much hay as they like." Cas went over and started stroking the head of a black coated mare.

"Here, as your first feeding, come give Ama some food. She's eyeing your bag there, so I imagine she'd like some grain." The raven-haired man said with a laugh.

Dean smiled once he saw the look on the horse's face. She did look like she was eyeing Dean and his bag of food up, so he happily obliged.

"Is she someone's racing horse?" He asked, doling out the food and gently stroking Ama's mane once he was done.

Backing away a little to give Dean space, Cas nodded and smiled.

"She sure is. Ama here is one of Crowley's favorite horses. She was specially bred for him a couple years ago, and she's at the end of her training. We don't know her rider yet though. Crowley only allows the best of the best to compete under his name, and as she's still young, she still needs a rider."

The Winchester took this information in and watched with a hint of a smile as Ama finished up her food. She truly was a sight to behold.

"I like her. She's calm and seems to be a gentle one."

"Oh yes, she isn't as outgoing as her siblings, but her talent is unquestionable. She's a part of the Byerley Turk line of thoroughbreds, and a descendant of the legendary horse, Ahonoora. I'm sure with the right rider, she could be a champion." Cas said.

Dean nodded and patted her one last time before following Cas to the next horse.

* * *

The day passed along in much a similar matter; through Cas' tutelage, by the end of the day, Dean was successfully feeding, grooming, and caring for the horses in the stables. It was an understatement to say that he was good at it; Dean was a natural with horses.

By dinner time, Dean was beyond ready for a break and some good food, and Cas felt the same way.

"So is there anything else we do after suppertime?" While Dean enjoyed the events of the day, he would be lying if he didn't say that he was wiped, and just wanted a shower and a good night's sleep in an actual bed for once in the longest time.

Taking a bite of his food, Cas shook his head no.

"No, not for us. Since we're day shift people, after dinner time, we're done for the day and let the night shift people take over. Bobby loves his farm and treats us like his family, so he always wants to make sure we're happy here and have time to ourselves too." Taking a sip of water, Cas gave Dean a small smile.

"It's the same for the night shift people. They have the whole day to themselves until after dinner, and then they take over the duties for the night and pick up where we left off. They'll start at seven once dinner is over and work until three a.m, so that they can get some sleep too." He continued.

"So everything's done here after three in the morning?" Dean asked.

"Yes. After three, all of the day's duties for everyone are done. Since we work during the day, we start at seven in the morning and work until three in the afternoon, and then have the rest of the day off." The raven-haired man replied.

Dean was confused by this. If he's going to be a day worker, then why had he and Cas worked right up until dinner at six?

"If we're working in the day then, how come you and I worked until dinner started?" The man asked.

Cas let out a chuckle at this and finished off his food, before standing up.

"Because I had to catch you up on all of your duties in a lesser amount of time than what we usually have. You started at ten, so we worked the extra three hours to make sure you had everything down."

Standing up, Dean grabbed his trash as well. He thought it odd that Cas had worked overtime just for him.

"Cas, you didn't have to do that man. You still started at seven, so that was like another three hours you had to work. I could've caught on from someone else."

Cas just sent Dean a smile and patted his back.

"Don't worry about it Dean. I was glad to be of assistance." Cas replied.

Dean blinked a little before shaking his head and following after Cas. After throwing away their trash from their meal, the two men exited the lunch hall, sated from the food.

Following Cas for a bit, Dean eventually stopped and looked around the entirety of the ranch. All around him people were bustling as the night workers took over the spots of the day workers and got to work right away. It was really a quaint ranch, and Dean figured he wouldn't mind staying here too much.

Cas stopped walking once he realized Dean had and looked around at the scene as well. This had been his home for ten years of his life, and he couldn't be happier. He had his brother, a few old friends, and now a new friend as well again. He looked up at golden orange hues mixed with blue, cascading across the sky. When a breeze passed through his hair, Cas smiled. This is home, and this is him.

"Dean, come follow me to your cabin. Earlier this morning Bobby mentioned the new guy would be sleeping in cabin 24, so since you're the only new guy, I'm figuring that's you." Cas said with humor in his voice.

Dean frowned a bit at this. He figured he'd be staying with Cas in his cabin, and as he didn't really know anyone else at the farm yet, he was a bit annoyed that he'd be staying with someone he didn't know.

"Cas, are you sure I can't stay with you in your cabin? It didn't look like you really had anyone staying with you...So if you wouldn't mind..." He trailed off. The prospect of dealing with someone he hadn't met yet didn't appeal to the blond in the slightest.

Cas turned his head to give a reassuring smile to Dean.

"I wish I could Dean, but I'm not the one that makes the rules. Don't worry though, I'm sure you won't have too many troubles with your roommate. If you do though, be sure to talk to me." Cas said, giving Dean a knowing smile as they rounded the corner to Dean's new cabin, and opened the door.

The first thing that hit Dean was the immense smell of sweets and candy. The second thing that hit him was the miscellaneous mess of posters and tapestries strewn across the wall, and the clothes tossed everywhere. And the last thing that hit him is the annoying, loud exclamation of a short, short man.

"Heyy, Dean-o! Welcome to Casa de Gabriel, make yourself at home buddy!" Gabriel said, practically dragging Dean into the cabin. The pure ecstatic joy flashing across Gabriel's face was terrifying, and Cas almost wished he had a camera on him to capture the moment.

A look of pure horror and disappointment washed across Dean's face as he gave Cas a pleading look. There was no way in hell he was going to be staying with this sugar high _terror_ over his sane brother. Cas just laughed behind his hand and offered a look of condolence as he stepped out of the doorway, back outside.

"I apologize Dean. I have some things to take care of, but if you're not busy around nine tonight, you can join me outside at my cabin. See you later, Dean." Cas said, walking out into the yard and towards his own cabin.

Dean sighed softly before turning to Gabriel, and rubbed a hand down his face. It was going to be a long night, and he had a feeling that he was not going to get that chance to hang out with his friend later.


	5. Chapter 5

A month passed in the same routine. Wake up at six, shower, brush teeth, eat breakfast, spend time with Cas, then go to work tending to the horses for the rest of the early day till three, and then spend more time with Cas. He found that Cas was a good, but shy and quiet guy. He was funny when he let himself relax, considerate, and kindhearted by nature. Dean found himself drawn to all of this and enjoyed his first few weeks at the farm. By the end of the month however, the only thing stopping Dean from killing Castiel's brother, was Castiel himself, and the respect he had for his friend.

'_If I have to step in one more pile of melted chocolate, I swear to god and every other deity that exists...'_ That was all Dean could think before the familiar feeling of squishy, rich paste running between his toes, and an unmistakable squelching sound broke him from his thoughts, and he saw red.

"C'mon Dean-o."

"No."

"Please?"

"No"

"Pleaaassseee?"

"Oh for fucks sake, I said no, Gabriel! I'd much rather sleep in the woods, buck naked, covered in honey, waiting for a bear attack to put me out of my misery, before I'd ever want to sleep here again!"

Currently, the day found Dean frantically shoving the little amount of clothing and personal supplies that he had into a small carry bag. He just could not do it anymore. Gabriel was nice and all, but Dean could not go through one more day living in a practical pig pen. After a long day at work, stepping in melted chocolate and tripping over dirty underwear was the last thing he wanted to come home to. He would never understand how someone could _live _with molding food, dirty clothes, and melted chocolate and sweets literally covering every inch of the small room they lived in, and he would be damned before he'd stick around to find out.

Dean Winchester was about two feet out of the door before a hand tugging on his arm stopped him. He looked back at Gabriel, and noticed the almost sad, pleading look in his eyes, and stopped for a moment. He'd never seen the man with a look like that on his face before.

Looking skyward, the tall blond sighed and settled himself into his place in the doorway.

"What, Gabe? You're gonna be hard pressed to change my mind, man. I can't stand dirty rooms."

Gabriel looked down at the floor for a moment before he looked back up at Dean with a conciliatory smile.

"I'll tell you what. Will you stay if I promise to keep the room in tip top shape?" He asked.

Dean choked out a laugh. He highly doubted Gabriel could even clean the room to healthy standards, let alone maintain it. That kind of uncleanliness is usually deep-seeded into a person's personality, from years and years of living like that in the past.

"Dude, no offense, but I'd be surprised if you can even get the room clean at all, let alone keep it that way. From the way the cabin looks now, it looks like you've kept it this way the entire time you've lived here." The Winchester retorted back. Since his dad never kept things clean when he was young, he often found himself the resident housemaid. As such, anything not kept clean often angered the green-eyed man in a way that even he couldn't explain. Dirt, messes, and garbage just upset him.

Gabriel took no offense from Dean's comment however and waved it off with a shake of his hand.

"No offense taken. Just give me a chance, Dean. I promise I can get it done. Please?" He said, batting his eyelashes at the taller man. He couldn't explain it, but there was something about the Winchester that Gabriel just felt he needed to keep him around for.

Dean was one of the few friends Cas actually made around the farm, and Gabriel couldn't be more relieved that Dean was actually a decent guy. Call it a brother's intuition, but Gabriel knew Dean was special. That effervescent man was going to make even the heavens tremble, and once Dean discovered his full potential, there would be nothing that could stop him. Gabriel only hoped that when the sun rises on that day, that Dean remembered the companions he's making now.

Dean eyed Gabriel for a few moments before he felt himself relent. He didn't exactly know too many other people on the farm besides Gabriel and Cas, and he didn't want to be a bother to Cas anyhow.

The only other guy he had somewhat become friends with was some guy named Curtis, and he seemed sketchy at best. Curtis worked the night shift, so Dean would have the cabin to himself for most of the night, but the man also gave off a vibe that nagged at Dean a bit. He seemed like the kind of guy Dean used to beat up in his high school days to put them back in their places, regular Class-A bullies.

Giving a loud sigh, Dean threw his small bag back to his bed and gave Gabriel a look of annoyance.

"Have it cleaned by tomorrow. If I step in or trip over anything suspicious by tomorrow night, then I'm out of here man."

Gabriel's face lit up and he ran over to the taller man to wrap him in a hug. He was glad. Living by yourself did get lonely after awhile, and plus he would always be able to make sure his little brother was doing alright, through Dean. He loved Cas, but sometimes his brother didn't know how to defend himself.

"Thank you Dean-o! You won't regret this decision, I promise!" Gabriel broke away, giving Dean a mock solute.

"Now go on and meet up with Cas. I'm sure he's waiting for you now." The short man said, with a glint in his eyes. He was just so glad that Castiel had at least one good friend to go to besides himself. Dean and Cas seemed to be bonding pretty quickly, after all.

Dean rolled his eyes before sending his probationary roommate a wave, then headed down the steps of his cabin, and towards the direction of Cas' cabin.

It was around suppertime, and just late enough in the day that the sun was starting to head into the west side of the sky. Dean smiled as he noticed that there were only a few fluffy clouds hanging out in the sky, and that the rest of the sky was as blue as a sparkling aquamarine gem. As Dean neared Cas' cabin, a light breeze kicked up the scent of the gardenia and heliotrope flowers that his friend had planted in front of his home. He would never admit it, but he himself actually enjoyed the splash of color that flowers brought into a homey scene. The heavenly scent was just an added bonus.

The Winchester bent down when he got in front of Cas' cabin, and gently plucked a heliotrope to hold in his hand. He smiled as he inhaled the sweet scent and fingered at one of the soft petals.

"It's definitely known as the "cherry pie" flower for a reason..." He mumbled, before jumping back as Cas opened his door and stepped out onto the little porch of his cabin.

Cas quirked his head upon noticing Dean with one of his flowers in his hand and shot the flustered man a smile. He looked like a man just caught in the act of robbing someone, but Cas couldn't care less if Dean had plucked one of his flowers.

"Enjoying the heliotrope, I see?" He prompted.

Stepping down the little staircase, Cas headed towards his bush of gardenias and bent down to gently pluck one of the flowers off of the stem as well. Dean watched as his friend closed his eyes and bent his head to smell at the floral bulb, before nervously looking at the now crushed heliotrope flower in his hand. He hadn't meant to, but in his shock at Cas' appearance, he had accidentally crushed the flower in his hand.

Cas looked up at Dean and gave him a reassuring smile before he moved to stand in front of him, and took the crushed flower from his hand. Tossing it to the side, Cas gently placed the new flower into Dean's hand, and closed the blond's fingers around the stem. Looking up at Dean, he gave him a small smile.

"Smell this one now. I find I'm more drawn to this one, myself." Cas said. "To me, it smells like summer evenings under the night sky, and wishing upon stars for a future of love and happiness, of peace and health." The raven-haired man bent down one more time to inhale the intoxicating floral scent. "It smells like home."

Dean blinked in surprise as he watched the scene unfurl in his mind's eye. He could see the stars speckling the night sky, as the crickets chirped, and the lightning bugs buzzed all around him. He could feel the young, tender hope that only youth could feel for the future. Dean could hear the soft laughter of his brother that he hadn't seen in a few years, talking himself about what the future could possibly hold. He could smell the campfire, the melting marshmallows, and the faintest hint of that sultry gardenia. He could feel the heat radiating off of his baby, having just recently been turned off so they could sit outside and enjoy the scenery. Dean could see it, just as well as he could smell it.

It smelled just like home.

Finally opening his eyes, Cas was standing there, giving him a knowing smile.

"What does home smell like to you, Dean Winchester?" The man asked, before finally letting go of the hold he had on Dean's hand.

Dean looked down at the flower, and then back up to Cas.

"I think it smells something just like this." He said.

Cas nodded once to Dean, not once relenting that ever-knowing smile. But Dean didn't care. Cas was right, and Dean knew Cas knew he was right.

"It's almost suppertime. Let's get going before all of the good food is gone." Cas said.

Dean smiled and nodded, before looking at the gardenia one last time. It was odd how just a simple scent could bring him all the way back to his teenage days. It wasn't a bad thing, however.

With these thoughts, Dean carefully tucked the small flower into the breast pocket of his shirt. He'd find someplace to put it when he got back to his cabin.

* * *

"So, I know you're a hard worker. You've done phenomenal with all of your training and are becoming one hell of a rancher." Cas said, taking a bite out of his turkey sandwich. "But in the past month you've been here, I don't actually know as much about you as I feel like I should by now. So tell me, what makes up the enigma that is Dean Winchester?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow and smirk.

Dean quirked an eyebrow of his own at that and finished his own bite of burger. He took a moment to look around at the mess hall. Ranchers bustled in and out of the food line, content with food from workers that looked like they hadn't slept in weeks. Light streamed in through high windows at the top of the wall, and overall the entire place smelled like an unholy mixture of body sweat and food that also smelled suspiciously like that as well.

Turning back to Cas, he gave him a shrug.

"There's not much to me, to be honest. I'm Dean Winchester. I was born on September 18th, 1958, to an asshole father that became a drunk after my mom passed when I was four. And I have a little brother, Sam, that I raised his whole life, who is two years my younger." Dean shrugged once more. "Not much more to tell."

Cas quirked his head to the side at this and gave a small smile.

"Well, that's a start. You have a birthday coming up soon, isn't that exciting? You'll be twenty-one and able to have your first beer or drink above the four percent." He said, taking another bite out of his sandwich.

Dean snorted and laughed at that. He supposed that was a bonus, not that he ever planned on taking advantage of it. He saw what alcohol could do to a person firsthand and didn't plan on copying his father's mistakes.

"Yeah, I guess so. You act like a man that's already been around the beer bus a time or two though. How old are you, Cas?"

"I'm twenty-seven, turning twenty-eight this December." Cas replied. "I guess it is kind of odd to think I am one of the youngest of my family, now that I think about it."

Dean blinked in surprise at that. He knew Cas was older than him, but he didn't expect it to be by that much.

"Damn Cas, you sure don't look like a man nearing his thirties though." Dean took a sip of his milk and grimaced. It appeared as if it had sat out just a little too long and became lukewarm.

Cas laughed a bit at that however and gave Dean a warm smile.

"You flatter me, Dean. Trust me, I've been dreading the big three-oh each year it gets closer," Cas said, "I'm sure you'll look just as great as you do now when you get there, however. Trust me, with looks like yours, I'm sure you'll be fine."

Dean's head whipped up at that, and he let out a bit of a cough. He was used to flattery, sure, but usually it came from a thin, curvy framed person rather than someone that rivaled himself in build.

"Thanks, Cas. That's nice of you."

Cas seemed to catch on to the awkward atmosphere his words had created, however, and quickly changed the subject.

"I'm sure there's more to you, Dean, than just your birthday and family. So, why don't you tell me?"

"Well, what would you like to know then?" Dean asked, relaxing back to normal and shrugging off the awkward moment.

"Well, I guess the basic things? Why'd you decide to work here? Your hopes for the future? Favorite color? Favorite song or band?" Cas asked. He had finished his food a few minutes ago but was too caught up in the conversation to care. Dean was one of the few friends he had made in years, and he really wanted to get to know him more.

Dean laughed heartily and settled down into his seat. He supposed conversation was good, and he should really try opening up more.

"I didn't decide to work here, I was kinda forced into it, but also offered the position to pay off a debt to Bobby. You see, I was on my way to a motel when I accidentally plowed into the back end of his truck, at the end of his driveway."

"Oh no, that's horrible Dean. The both of you were okay, right?" Cas asked. He leaned forward on the table, fully engaged in the talk now. Genuine concern and worry showed on his features, however.

"Oh, yeah we were both completely fine. I can't say the same about my car, however," Dean laughed, "Sadly, she took the brunt of the damage so she's still in Bobby's driveway a few miles back."

"Well at least the both of you came out of it safe and unscathed. That's the main thing that matters."

"I suppose so, yeah. So until I pay off the five hundred dollar debt I owe Bobby, I'm staying here." Dean said. Cas nodded at this and smiled to prompt him to continue on.

"For the future, I hope to settle down someday with someone and have a little house in the countryside with a picket fence, open land for miles, and maybe a rugrat or two messing things up around the house. I hope that my brother gets to the position of his dreams, and that he's well off. I just hope, that whoever I end up with, loves me for me, and I'll love them for them, unconditionally."

Straightening up a little in his seat, Cas' smile returned bigger than before, and he let out a little laugh.

"That's funny, that's almost exactly like my hopes for the future. Great minds think alike, I suppose?"

"They're called great minds for a reason, Cas." Dean said, returning his smile.

"Your favorite color, then?"

"Hmm...probably cobalt or admiral blue."

"Those are nice shades. Very royal."

"I only pick the best." Dean said with a laugh. He began to tap his fingertips against his glass of milk, to occupy his hands with something else to do. He found he could focus better that way.

"You haven't answered possibly the most important question yet though." Cas said.

"And what's that?"

"Who's your favorite singer or band?" Cas asked, tilting his head once more to the side in that puppy dog way. Dean was starting to wonder if it was a nervous tick. A part of him had to admit, it was kinda cute in a way.

"I guess I'd have to say Neil Diamond." Dean said, taking a moment to glance at the rays of sun cascading into the room. "I grew up with his music, so it holds a special place in my heart."

When Dean looked up at Cas after a few moments of silence, he found that Cas was also staring up at the rays of sun filtering through the room. When Cas looked back at him, something...beautiful shown bright in his eyes.

"Did I pick a good choice then?" Dean asked, for some reason feeling slightly anxious for his friend's response.

"You picked a wonderful choice, Dean." Cas replied, relaxing back into his seat. He looked back up to continue to stare at the gleaming windows.

"When I was younger, my dad would sing me to sleep with some of Neil Diamond's songs. I don't remember it too well, but I remember the feeling of unconditional love. I guess you could say his songs hold a special place in my heart too, if you can get what I mean." Cas explained, finally looking back at Dean.

Dean just gave Cas a soft smile, to convey that yes, he understood perfectly what Cas meant.

After a few moments, the sound of the bell ringing from the ranch speakers to signify the start of the night shift broke the two out of their reverie. Cas placed his hand on the table a moment before he stood up and grabbed his plate and silverware.

"Let's get going, Dean. They're going to be closing this place up soon." He said.

Dean grabbed his own plate and silverware and made his way with Cas to the table collecting all of the dirty dishes. Something nagged at the back of his mind though, and he found himself a bit saddened that he and Cas would be parting ways in a few moments.

"Hey Cas?"

"Yes, Dean?"

"If...If you're not doing anything else tonight, would you like to hang out and just chat? Maybe start a little bonfire or something?" Dean asked, placing his dishes into the collection, and turning to look at Cas.

Cas set his plates down and then turned to look at Dean as well, giving him a nod and a smile.

"Of course. I would love that, Dean."

"Okay, awesome! I guess I'll catch up with you later tonight then. After sunset?"

"Yes, that's fine."

"Alright, I'll catch you later then, Cas."

"I'll see you later, Dean." Cas replied, leaving out the mess hall doors after sending Dean one final smile.

Dean stood there with a smile of his own for a few seconds. When he finally left the mess hall as well, a strong scent in the breeze caught his attention, and he couldn't help but smile wider.

It smelt like gardenias.


	6. Chapter 6

After leaving the mess hall, Dean slowly made his way back to his and Gabriel's cabin on the other side of the farm. On the way, he nodded to some passing fellow ranchers, but really paid them no mind. He was still focused on the conversation he had had with Castiel back during supper.

The way Cas had acted during their meal had seemed...Odd to Dean. While he knew Cas pretty well, he supposed just the whole interaction was different than what he was used to. Cas was a quiet guy, and if that was what Cas was like when he started opening up more and coming out of his barriers, then Dean supposed he wouldn't mind at all. Perhaps he would work on getting his friend to open up more later that night.

Upon getting back to his cabin and opening the door, Dean was surprised with the sight that greeted him. All of the dirty clothes strewn everywhere were put away, he couldn't find a trace of moldy food anywhere, and upon closer inspection, it looked as is the surfaces were even dusted.

A grinning Gabriel sat perched on his bed when Dean finally noticed him. Hopping down from his seat, he walked over to the Winchester and then spread one arm wide, inviting him in.

"Bienvenidos a la Casa de Gabriel y Dean 2.0, mi amigo. I hope you'll find everything to your liking." Gabriel said with a wide grin, waiting for his friend's reaction.

"No way. You seriously did this in just the short time I've been gone?" He asked. Dean was in disbelief, there was no way someone could possibly clean up a mess like that in just a short hour.

Walking around their now clean cabin, Dean was impressed and shocked. Gabriel had actually managed it, he had cleaned everything up like he had asked him to.

"Of course I did. It's really not that hard when you get a system going." The shorter man replied.

Dean stood still and looked at Gabriel for a moment, before he nodded his head in appreciation, and walked over to pat him on the shoulder.

"I'm impressed and proud, Gabe. Thank you for doing this, I'm really appreciative. Just please, keep it this way from now on." Dean said, walking over to his own bed and promptly flopping down and spreading out on it. He sighed in relief when hit the mattress, and closed his eyes, letting himself relax.

Gabriel followed suit on his own bed and groaned happily at the soft mattress.

"Not a problem, Dean-o. I said I'll keep it in tip top shape, and that's just what I plan to do."

A few minutes passed in silence before Gabriel started to fidget around. Keeping still never was his specialty, and he was curious about how the dinner went with Dean and his baby brother.

"Sooo….How'd things go tonight with Cassie?" He asked.

"They went pretty good. Also, you know he hates being called that, Gabe."

Gabriel laughed at that and sat up on his bed to be able to look at Dean.

"He's just saying that cause he doesn't want me to embarrass him in front of you. Trust me, he hates it no more than I hate being called 'Gabe'." The shorter man said.

At this, Dean sat up on his bed to be able to look at Gabriel too. He quirked an eyebrow at him in confusion.

"Really? He seemed pretty bothered by it from my standpoint."

Gabriel scoffed at that and laid back on his bed, with his arms crossed underneath his head.

"Dean-o, I'm the older brother here. Trust me on this okay? If it actually really bothered him, I wouldn't do it. But right now, he thinks you're nice but doesn't know you too well and doesn't want me to embarrass him in front of you. In private, he couldn't care less if I call him Cassie or not."

Dean still wasn't sure but wasn't going to press the matter any further. If Cas really didn't mind it behind closed doors with his family, then that was Cas' decision and he wasn't anyone to fight something further on a family matter.

"Okay then...In either case, I'm sure he's got a better idea of who I am now. That was actually one of the things he wanted to talk about while at dinner." Dean said.

At this, Gabriel's attention was piqued once again, and he sat up to be able to study Dean once more.

"Oh really? Do tell. What exactly did my little baby brother want to know more about?" He said, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

Dean blinked a little but laughed at the odd expression on Gabriel's face. He was a jokester, he'd give him that.

"Nothing much. He just wanted to know common stuff you tell your friends, like why I'm here, my favorite color, hopes for the future, and favorite singer and stuff. That was really all we got to talk about."

Gabriel let the information sink in before a knowing smile crossed his face. He nodded, before slapping his knees and standing up.

"Sounds like some good friendly bonding to me. That's good. Was there anything else?"

Dean was about to shake his head no before he remembered that he'd asked Cas to hang out later tonight.

"Nothing more on that regard, but I did ask if he wanted to hang out after sunset so we could hang out and talk some more. Maybe have a bonfire. That's all."

Gabriel nodded once before he smiled and headed towards the door.

"That sounds like fun. I'm glad you two are getting along so well. I'm gonna go snatch some food before they completely lock up the mess hall." Gabriel said.

Before he exited the door, he turned to Dean.

"Oh and Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Please, look out for him okay?"

Dean was a bit confused by this. Cas seemed to take care of himself pretty well from what he's seen so far, but if that's what Gabriel wanted, then who was he to say no? He knew what it was like having a little brother.

"Of course. As long as I'm around, I'll look out for him."

"Thank you."

Gabriel gave him a smile before he exited out of the door.

* * *

Dean fell asleep soon after that, and if it wasn't for an odd tickling sensation on his nose, he wouldn't have woken up the rest of the night.

The tickling got worse however, and soon Dean was sneezing and cursing whatever it was that was giving him allergies this late in the season. Upon waking up, Dean was greeted by two bright blue orbs with whiskers looking down at him, and promptly yelled his surprise by jolting awake and shoving the furry mass off of him.

"What the hell is that thing?!"

"Her name is Marigold, or just Mari." A voice sounded from out of the corner of his vision.

Looking over, Dean sighed in relief when he found it was just Cas there. He was confused as to why his friend was in his cabin though, when he realized there wasn't any light streaming through the windows anymore, and that the cabin was nearly pitch black.

Cas walked over to where Dean was half laying, half sitting up in his bed, and scooped up what Dean could then make out to be a cat. That definitely explained his sudden bout of allergies.

"Shit Cas, I'm sorry man. I didn't mean to oversleep on you. I must've been more tired than I originally thought." Dean said, rubbing a hand at the back of his head.

Cas stood there and stroked at Marigold in his hands, happily cooing to her before he chuckled softly at Dean's worry.

"No worries, Dean. I figured you had probably fallen asleep after about an hour or so, so little Mari here and I decided to pay you a visit to make sure you were alright," Cas said, "I was going to let you sleep in, but it appears this little troublemaker had different ideas."

Dean laughed a bit himself once it finally all set in. He got scared over a little kitten that, at least in the dark lighting, looked to be no more than two months old at best.

"You said her name was Marigold? Where'd you get that little fuzzball anyways, Cas?" Dean asked, standing up and stretching, before moving over to be able to pet at the little furry thing.

Cas gently perched the kitten higher up on his breastbone and kept her level with his one hand to allow Dean more access to pet her as well before turning to him with a smile.

"I found her in a bush of marigolds when she was about a month old. Her mother wasn't around, and I couldn't find any other kittens, so I figured she was probably the runt of the bunch and left behind," Cas said, "So I decided to take her in to feed her and take care of her. Bobby already said I could keep her as long as I keep track of her, so she's been keeping me company."

Nodding, Dean pet at the little thing from her tiny head all the way down her spine. The kitten purred happily at the attention and stretched her small body to push into the touch. The blond man smiled at this.

"She's a sweet little thing, isn't she?" Dean said, completely enraptured with Marigold. "I'm gonna have to take about three showers after this though. I'm pretty allergic."

At this, Castiel quickly jerked away to be out of Dean's reach. He had completely forgotten that Dean literally almost died at the doorstep of the farm due to his asthma.

"Dean, why didn't you remind me?! You still don't have any medicine, she could trigger your asthma right now and it isn't a guarantee that I'd be able to stop it again!" Cas yelled out. It wouldn't do either of them any good for Dean to suffocate to death right now.

Dean, however, just laughed at the look on Cas' face and shook his head.

"Whoa, calm down there buddy. I may be allergic, yes, but I'm not allergic enough that just petting her is gonna kill me. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Cas eyed his friend suspiciously before he took a cautious step closer. The way Dean had been gasping for air and on the brink of death while in his lap was something Cas wasn't about to forget anytime too soon.

"If you're sure...Then I guess it's okay. Just scrub extra well when you take a shower tonight or in the morning." Cas said, stepping close to Dean once more. "Actually, better yet, take that shower tonight. That way you won't risk rubbing her fur all over your bedding tonight, if it gets stuck on you."

Dean rolled his eyes but still had a smile on his face.

"Yes, mother." He said in a placating tone.

"You promise?"

Giving a small sigh, Dean retained the smile and placed his hand over his heart.

"Scout's honor. I promise."

Cas finally relented and smiled at this, and gently handed over the kitten to Dean's awaiting hands.

"Be careful, Dean. She's still just a baby and is rowdy sometimes and can-"

"Cas, I got this. It's okay."

Sighing softly, Cas stepped over to the side to watch Dean and Mari.

Taking the kitten into his hands, Dean gently supported her and rubbed his fingers through her fur.

"Aw, would you look at you...Look at how cute and beautiful you are already. Your fur is just so silky honey, and you got the cutest little blue eyes!" Dean held the kitten carefully to him and continued cooing to the kitten in a baby voice. He just couldn't help it; the little fur ball was too cute for its own good.

Standing to the side, Cas couldn't help but watch with a fond smile. He loved all animals, and always enjoyed watching the happy interactions others had with animals too. He would be lying if he didn't acknowledge the speeding of his heart either, though.

After a few moments of Dean coddling Mari, Cas finally stepped forward to put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry to interrupt a precious moment, but would you like to take this moment outside with me? The sky is clear and beautiful out tonight, and I believe you promised a bonfire?"

Dean laughed at this and nods, still refusing to hand over Mari, however.

"I didn't exactly promise it, but yeah we can still do that Cas. I'd love to."

"Let's get going then, Dean." Cas said, leading the way out of the cabin.

Dean followed after him, making sure to protect and coddle Mari from the breezy night air. He'd never admit it out loud, but he had a major soft spot for babies of any kind, including furry little balls of fluff like Marigold. Allergies be damned, Dean would hold and love on any cat or kitten that would let him.

Dean and Cas walked in silence for following few minutes until the porch lights from Castiel's cabin could be seen in the distance. Once getting close enough, Cas took off at a run to his cabin so he could get to the firepit in the back and start prepping the fire.

"I'm gonna go on ahead Dean! Just follow me to the back of the cabin when you get there!" Cas yelled.

"Hey, wait, Cas-" Dean didn't really want to walk by himself in the pitch-black night, but sighed as Cas didn't wait to hear him out.

Looking down at Mari, Dean shook his head with a sigh.

"I'm starting to see what your Uncle Gabriel meant when he said to look out for your daddy, honey..."

The little kitten just raised her head to look up at Dean briefly and let out a little mewl, and then went back to laying down in his palms to fall asleep. Dean smiled at this, and took his time getting to Castiel's backyard as to not disturb Mari.

When Dean finally made it to Cas' cabin, he headed straight to the back where he saw the starting flickers of a fire emanating from the fire pit.

"Hey, you're getting it started! Do you need any help, Cas?" Dean asked.

Looking up from this place of flicking a small pocket lighter to catch the rest of the wood on fire, Cas smiled and waved him over.

"No, I think I'm good," Cas said, while catching more of the wood on fire, "However, if you want to go inside my cabin and put Mari to sleep in her little bed at the foot of my mine, and grab some marshmallows from the cabinet in there, I'd be highly appreciative."

"Of course. I'll be right back, Cas". Dean said and headed around the front to do as he said he would.

Upon entering Cas' cabin and switching on the light, Dean was able to take in Cas' room in detail for the first time.

It was set up in the same way that his and Gabriel's was, except it had some notable Cas touches. His bed was kept and tidy, covered in a red plaid bed set and comforter. The curtains drawn closed on his windows were of a similar red color, without the plaid, and of a satiny quality. A little doormat made its home in front of the door, while a small beige carpet made its place underneath the bed and extended to cover a good foot or two away from the bed as well.

Dean found the little makeshift bed Cas had been talking about for Mari, and set her down comfortably inside it, giving one last stroke to her fur, before looking for the cabinet Cas had been talking about. He didn't have to look far as the cabinet had been hung pantry style directly a foot or two above his bed.

Kneeling on to the bed, Dean opened it and looked for the bag of puffy tooth-rotting goodness. After pushing away a few cans of perishable food, a box of cereal, and a couple bottles of water, Dean finally found the bag of marshmallows Cas had been talking about. Closing the cabinet door shut, Dean stepped back onto the floor and made his way back to the door. However, before he made it out, a picture on the dresser by Cas' bed caught his attention.

It looked like a similar picture Cas had originally shown him all those days back, except this one appeared to be updated. In this picture, Cas was standing in the center, looking proud as he held a certificate of some kind in his hands. Gabriel was standing directly next to him with the biggest grin on face, while Luci stood on the other side. A few other older looking guys that Dean could only assume were also Cas' brothers, all stood around him as well, looking proud and happy for their little sibling.

Dean smiled as he took in the scene for a few seconds before finishing the route he had left to exit the cabin. Heading around to the back of the cabin once more, he found Cas sitting in front of the fire, watching the flames flicker back and forth. Once he noticed Dean, he turned and gave him a smile.

"Found the marshmallows I see. I hope they weren't too hard to find?" Cas asked.

"I found them easy enough. Mari is all good and snoring away in her bed though," Dean replied, tossing the bag of marshmallows over to Cas, "God she has got to be one of the cutest things I've ever seen though."

Cas smiled and caught the bag.

"She is, isn't she? I was pretty lonely before I found her, so I guess she's my little blessing in a way."

Dean grabbed one of the skewers sat on the ground that he assumed Cas had brought out in preparation from earlier and twirled it in his fingers.

"That reminds me, Cas. Why are you sleeping alone? From what I understand, it seems like most ranchers have to have a roommate as to help cut down on expenses around here."

Opening the bag of marshmallows and tossing one to Dean, Cas stared quietly into the fire for a few seconds, before breathing a sigh.

"I'm guessing you've figured by now that I don't have too many friends here. There's a reason for that….that I'd honestly rather not tell you right now. You'll figure it out eventually, I'm sure, as everyone at this godforsaken farm loves to gossip." Cas said, mumbling for the most part and looking dejectedly at the fire for the rest.

Dean's curiosity was piqued at that. What secret could Cas have that would be so bad that no one would want to sleep in the same cabin with him? He wasn't one to pry, however. He figured that Cas would tell him when he's ready and didn't want to push the matter that much.

"Cas, I'm sure it's not that bad...I haven't seen anybody being mean to you or anything. If anything, all the interactions I've seen you have with the other guys seemed to have been pleasant."

Cas only sighed once more at that. Dean would have to figure it out for himself before he fully understood. He already knew that that would have to be the case.

"That's because you haven't been watching them, Dean." Cas retorted. "They're only acting that way because you're around me most of the time, and they don't want to mess with you yet."

Cas tossed another marshmallow to Dean, before grabbing one for himself and twisting the bag to close it. He stuck one marshmallow on his skewer and thrusted it aggressively into the fire. All of his anger seemed to dissipate at that small show of aggression however, and all that was left was a slouched, tired man that looked thousands of years older than he was.

"Tomorrow, watch your surroundings and you'll see what I mean, Dean." Cas said. "Pay attention. Watch the looks in their eyes when they look at me. Watch the way most of them seem to steer the other way when I even come close to them."

Dean sat in silence and watched the flickering flames as Cas continued.

"Yeah, some of them are genuinely nice to me. Some of them actually care about me. But that's only behind closed doors. They're too afraid to show genuine concern in public, for fear of what the others will do, all because of rumors." The raven-haired man sighed once more, before straightening up and giving Dean a sad smile.

"Give it time, and you'll see."

"Cas, why don't you just tell me what's up? You can tell me, you know. I won't bite." Dean said. He was genuinely concerned as to why Cas felt he had to hide something so important from him.

Cas sat there in silence for a moment before shaking his head no. Dean could see in his eyes that the man desperately wanted to tell him, but there was something holding him back.

"Why can't you tell me, Cas?" Dean looked at him desperately. As his friend, he truly did care for him, and plus he promised Gabriel that he would always look out for him.

"Because, Dean," Cas said, "I care about you. You're one of the closest friends I've got, and I'm afraid as soon as I tell you, you'll turn out to be exactly like them. You'll start to treat me like them. And...And I just don't think I could handle that Dean." Cas turned to Dean with sorrow filled eyes. Dean could only imagine what kind of hell Cas must've went through to be able to have that expression on his face.

Dean looked on sadly at Cas, before he scooted closer to him so that their arms were touching. He waited a moment before fully turning towards him and opened up his arms, to let Cas into his embrace.

Castiel stared at him with wide eyes for a few moments, before he slumped and fell forward into his friend's embrace. Dean could feel Cas take shallow breaths in his arms, and all he could do was sit there and hold him and offer comfort by rubbing his hand up and down Cas' back.

"Shh….Hey Cas?" Dean asked, waiting for the man to look up from his face buried in his shoulder.

"Yes, Dean…?"

The Winchester took a deep breath and gathered his nerve for what he was about to do. Looking up at the night sky, he gained a bit of courage from the glowing lights.

Dean began to sing soft and slowly, wanting to make sure Cas could understand him.

"..._I let time go lightly when I'm here with you...I let time go lightly when the day is through. I keep watch on time when I have work to do...But I let time go lightly, with you._."

Dean felt Cas' breathing start to even out, but that didn't stop him from continuing on. He knew Cas was going through a rough patch, and he wanted to make sure Cas knew he'd always be there for him.

"_Morning, a time for breaking ground and sowing seeds... And yet we give up our sunshine so we can buy what we need... That leaves the evening, to share a fire with a friend or two, to lose sight of the hours…. To go lightly with you"_

Cas finally lifted his head up off of Dean's shoulder at that point and sniffled a bit. A small smile graced his lips as he began to quietly sing along with Dean. When Dean noticed this, he smiled right back.

"_I let time go lightly when I'm here with you, I let time go lightly when the day is through... I keep a watch on time when I've got work to do..But I let time go lightly, with you..."_

The final notes of their singing seemed to echo in the distance, through the night sky. Cas smiled at Dean with fondness while Dean kept him held in his grasp with a similar smile. For both of them, time seemed to stand still as they stared into each other's eyes.

After a few moments in their reveries, Cas finally broke away and sat back a little, to give Dean some space. He shot Dean a grateful smile before speaking quietly to convey his gratitude.

"Thank you for that, Dean. You have no idea how much that meant to me."

Dean sat back as well, and placed his hands on his lap, offering a small smile in return.

"Not a problem, buddy. I'm just glad I could help." He coughed awkwardly once with a hint of blush covering his cheeks, before continuing on. "And, just so you know, I meant every lyric from that song. Time really does go lightly when I'm with you."

Cas chuckled at this, before his fond smile returned.

"Likewise, Dean."

After that, Cas let out a small sigh, before looking off to the side. He wasn't sure if what he was going to say next would be the right thing to say.

"I'm...still not comfortable with telling you just yet. But...how about I show you instead? Just watch out for the other ranchers...But, I myself, will show you what I mean in the upcoming days. Okay?"

It was Dean's turn to quirk his head at this. It was a strange request, and he was more curious than ever to figure out what Cas meant, but if that's the way he wanted to do it, then that was fine by him.

"Of course, Cas. I'd never force you to tell me something that you're not ready to tell yet. If showing me is easier, then by all means, show me." Dean said in turn.

At this, Cas let out a sigh of relief and bent forward to give Dean another hug.

"Thank you, Dean, for understanding."

"Of course, Cas. What're friends for, after all?" Dean said, returning the hug and patting Cas on the back.

When Cas broke away once again, he looked as if he had just dropped ten thousand pounds off of his shoulders. Giving Dean a pat on his shoulder, he stood up and stretched, groaning softly as his back popped in protest. Afterwards, he offered a hand to pull Dean up with, which Dean gratefully accepted. By this point, the fire was starting to simmer out and only crackling embers were left to keep their space barely lighted.

"The fire's almost out and we have to be up early. Would you like to call it a night, Dean?" Cas asked.

At the offer, Dean couldn't help but yawn. It was way past the time he was usually in bed by, and he knew trying to get to his bed without waking Gabriel up from the creaking floorboards was going to be a pain. That man was like an emotional teenager when woken up in the middle of his "beauty sleep".

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea to me, man. Thanks for tonight." Dean said. "I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

"Of course. I'll see you bright and early, raring to take care of Ama." Cas replied with a wink.

Dean chuckled and shook his head. That horse really had grown on him during his time at Singer Farms, and he had grown on the horse as well if the whinnies of happiness whenever she saw Dean, were anything to go by.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Goodnight, Cas."

"Goodnight, Dean."

When Dean left to head back to his cabin, he couldn't help but look up at the stars shining bright in the night sky. Tomorrow was a new day, and he couldn't help but look forward to it.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Dean had somehow managed to wake up around the time he usually does. He had been lucky enough the night prior to avoid waking up Gabriel when he got in, although that man's snores could probably cover up the sound of a bomb going off.

Looking over to the opposite side of the room, it appeared as if Gabriel had left early that morning. He knew that his roommate usually liked to get to sleep early so that he could wake up early, but often more times than not, Dean usually had to wake the man up when he himself got up.

Shrugging it off, Dean went over to his dresser and pulled out a fresh work shirt, pants, and underwear for the day, and then grabbed his usual shampoo and bar of soap from his supply bag on top of his dresser.

Heading out the door, the first thing Dean noticed was how beautiful the sun looked when just rising in the distance. The orange hues of the first sunlight melded beautifully with the pale baby blue pigment of the morning sky. Wispy, fluffy clouds further blended into the aerial landscape, and Dean couldn't help but grin at what an alluring backdrop that mother nature had created for the day. While personally Dean much preferred the night over the morning, he did have to admit that it was moments like these that made waking up early all worth it.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Dean resumed his journey to the shower house. Luckily his cabin happened to be in relatively short distance from the showers, so within a matter of seconds he was opening up the door.

The sound of running water and humid steam fogging up the entire room alerted Dean to the presence of someone else in the shower house with him. He preferred it when he had the house to himself, which oddly happened more often than one would've thought, but he supposed as there were multiple located throughout the farm, that this one was probably one of the least favored of the bunch. The Winchester didn't mind sharing the showers with someone else, as they were all blocked off by curtains, it just still bothered him a little as he enjoyed his privacy.

Dean started to travel the hall of showers when he figured the guy currently using one was probably at a shower all the way at the end, which was where he usually went. He sighed softly, resigning himself to a shower closer to the doors, and was about to make his choice when he noticed that the water hadn't been on for a while, and heard the sound of someone singing very softly.

"_I let time go lightly, when I'm here with you..."_

Dean recognized that song quite well. He felt his stomach drop but also his heart pick up the pace when he realized just who it was in the showers with him.

The sound of the curtain opening surprised him, and he jumped a little when he noticed the naked form rounding out of the stall with a towel in his hands.

His suspicions were confirmed when he realized it was Cas, who was currently drying his hair. Upon realizing that, he felt all of his worry and anxiety strip away.

"Oh, hiya Cas! Good morning!" Dean said, waving to him to catch his attention.

Cas looked up from his previous activity, and a small smile appeared on his face before Dean watched it to turn to something more...sultry, right before his eyes. That immediately set a small buzzer off in his head, but Dean ignored it in favor of greeting his friend.

"Hiya buddy. How're you doing today? Feeling any better from last night?" Dean asked, leaning against the wall at the entrance of his chosen shower.

Cas smirked at that, and made his way towards Dean, putting a bit of flair in his steps.

"Oh, good morning Dean. Yes, I'm doing much better. Especially now that you're here..." Cas said, his voice deeper than usual.

Dean blinked in surprise but found himself frozen to the spot. When Cas got about a foot away from Dean's space, Dean couldn't help but let his eyes wander. His friend...no, his _best_ friend was absolutely stunning with water droplets running down every curve of his body, and his normally raven-black hair turned pure ebony by the water, casually sticking up everywhere. This close, Dean could make out every dip, curve, and crevice on Cas' body, and he felt himself heat up with each passing second.

Cas was gorgeous. From just taking a shower, he had tousled hair that dripped sex, and he smelled of lilac and honey. Dean found that he was surprisingly toned underneath all of those layers of work clothing and had _abs_ and definition in each one of his muscles; it was _very_ apparent that he worked out. Dean gulped and wetted his lips when his eyes traveled lower and landed on a part of Cas' body that surprisingly had a very strong impact on his own body. Dean felt himself harden in his pants as he realized just how well-endowed Castiel truly was.

And of course, Cas noticed this himself.

"You see something you like, Dean?" Cas started, gently draping his arms around Dean's neck. He craned his body to press against Dean's so he could whisper in his ear, and Dean could feel the stirrings of Cas' own arousal against his own. He couldn't fight the shiver that ran down his spine.

"I would love to continue this, but we both have places to be, honeybee." The shorter man whispered.

Dean found himself uncontrollably wrapping his hands around Cas' waist, clenching his fingers into the softer, meaty flesh.

"Cas..."

Dean could feel every vessel in his body humming, could feel his blood pumping, and could hear his ears ringing. This guy was stunning, and Dean just knew it. Cas was the man that was going to flip his world upside down, and Dean was completely ready to fall. As long as it meant falling into Cas' arms, he'd always be ready.

And that completely terrified Dean.

Castiel was able to press a kiss to Dean's cheek before Dean quickly removed himself, and the bell signaling the start of the day worker's shift resounded around the shower house.

"I'll see you later, Dean."

The stunning man offered Dean a wink before he quickly gathered his clothes he had placed on the sink counter, put them on in a rush, and then ran out of the door.

Dean stood there dumbstruck before everything that just happened hit him like a freight train; Cas had just _flirted_ with him. He couldn't believe it; there had to be a different explanation for this. Perhaps it was just a joke? But Cas' emotions seemed too genuine for it to be a joke. Maybe he was a really good actor then? Did Gabriel put Cas up to that? _'Why do I even care? I'm not queer, after all'_

The idea that Gabriel had put Cas up to it clicked and sounded better than all of the other reasons, so Dean went with that one. There could be no other explanation, right?

'_But then...why does it hurt to think that is was Gabriel's fault?' _Dean shook his head and decided to push back all of those thoughts for later and take a rushed shower. Hopefully no one would notice his absence that quickly.

Stripping off his clothes, Dean rushed into the shower to take the quickest "scrub-and-go" of his life. He sighed when he noticed the very prominent problem his lower half was experiencing and decided to crank the shower to ice cold.

Even though it was hell and Dean was sure he'd have hypothermia by the end of it, it got the job done.

* * *

By the time Dean finally showed up, most of the workers were already half way through their usual schedule, for whatever they were assigned to do for the day, and Dean's hair was still spiky and soaking wet. Today, Dean was assigned to take a couple of the horses out on walks, Ama included.

Going to the stables, he passed by Curtis who was on food duty for the day and sighed when the man let out a low whistle and dropped his food to head on over to Dean.

"Well look what the cat dragged in, if it ain't Dean Winchester, fashionably late as ever, I see." His tone was cocky and teasing, and Dean wanted nothing more than to kick him in the dick and call it a day. He knew if he wanted to keep some semblance of mutual respect with him however, he wouldn't be able to do that.

Curtis was a tall, strappish man with a similar body build as Dean. Although, while Dean only had lean muscle on his body from years of hard work, Curtis had some small pouches of fat here and there that made it obvious that his job at Singer Farms was probably about the only thing keeping him lean. He kept his hair longer on top and shorter at the base, and gelled it to resemble spikes. He had an angular face with a curved jawline, thin lips, a pointy noise, and brown eyes. One could say he had a pretty face, until they actually got to know him.

Curtis lived to only benefit Curtis, and it showed in all of his actions. It was very obvious in the way he carried himself that he was probably a "star" back in his high school days, and perhaps the leading quarterback on his alma mater's football team. Apparently, that didn't get him too far however, if all of his accomplishments amounted to him working for a living at Singer Farms. Curtis was a bitter, selfish person, and his shitty attitude probably stemmed from all of his failures.

Picking up a set of reigns from the hook by the stalls, Dean sighed when he felt an arm sling over his shoulders. Apparently, it was going to be one of _those _days.

"So tell me Dean, my buddy, my pal, what had you so late today?" Curtis asked, with the biggest shit eating grin Dean didn't think was possible, on his face.

"Were you, ah, shacking up with some of the ladies over east? Huh? Huh?" Each "huh" was punctuated with a jab to his ribs, and Dean felt his patience slowly slip as the man just got progressively more annoying.

"No, I was not shacking up with any ladies. If you have to know, I was hanging out with a friend and overslept." Dean said, picking up the pace so he could end the conversation as soon as possible. He was already too far behind, and had a lot to catch up on. Each horse took about half an hour to fully walk, so at this rate, he'd be working past dinner.

Curtis didn't seem to take the hint, however, and continued on.

"Oh really? Which friend was this? I haven't seen you hang around too many people except for either your roommate or..._that one _guy. And I would really hope you didn't mean him."

Dean heard it this time. He paid attention, and he was astounded that he could actually _hear _the disgust dripping off of Curtis' voice. He bristled at this, and stiffened up. He knew who Curtis was talking about, but for Curtis' sake, he really hoped he was wrong.

Turning his full attention to the annoying man, Dean fixed him with a cold glare.

"And what do you mean by "that one guy"? Do you mean Castiel? Cause if so, he has a name, fucker."

Curtis' eyes widened at that and he stepped back from Dean an inch, with his hands out in a placating gesture.

"Whoa, calm down there buddy. I'm just trying to warn you. You know the rumors about him, right?" Curtis said, stepping closer to Dean once again.

Dean took one step back and grimaced. He felt his temper rising, and knew it would be no good to get into a fight and kicked off the farm this early.

"Curtis, I'm warning you right now. Cas is my friend. Whatever rumors circulating I'm sure are just rumors, and I want no part of it."

Curtis shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Fine. You wanna go and be with your faggot friend, be my guest. Hell, maybe you and him and his brother will shack up one day and have one big ole' queer orgy-"

That was all Curtis got out before Dean's fist made contact with his face, and he went stumbling down the stalls. When Curtis got his bearings, he was livid.

"What the hell man?! What was that for!"

"If you know what's good for you, I'd suggest you zip your mouth shut, and leave me alone." Dean said, approaching Curtis before taking him by the collar of his shirt and lifting him off of the ground.

"And if I ever find out it's been you spreading the rumors about Cas, then it'll be the last thing you ever do. I was in the police force before I came here, so trust me when I say I know how to hide a dead body and get away with it."

The Winchester threw him to the ground before going to pick up the reigns he had tossed earlier. Curtis stood up shakily and spit out the blood collecting in his mouth, before sending a glare to Dean, and then limped out of the stall house.

Dean sighed as he stared at the reigns in his hands. He fingered gently at the leather and tried to refocus on what he had to get done for the day, but that guy had really pissed him off.

From the corner of his eye he saw a figure tentatively move towards him. He turned to face the newcomer, and sighed in relief when he realized it was just Cas.

"Hey, Cas."

Cas moved the rest of the distance and stood next to Dean, before he bowed his head down. Dean could see from his height that the man appeared to be biting his lip, and he frowned.

"Hey, what's wrong buddy? Did...did you overhear?" Dean questioned, placing his free hand on Cas' shoulder.

Cas looked up at Dean, and his features softened into a small grin, and he nodded.

"Yes, I...I heard everything. And...thank you, Dean. That meant a lot to me."

Dean gave a smile back and dropped the reigns to the side, before he pulled Cas into a hug. Castiel sighed happily, melted into the embrace, and wrapped his arms around Dean's stomach. The taller man still smelled like a hint of the bonfire they had the prior night, and the classical ulster scent of an Irish Spring bar of soap. He could smell the clean shampoo in Dean's hair, and he felt safe. If even for a moment, he felt loved.

"Don't worry about it Cas, I'd do that for anyone. I can't stand bullies. Besides, no one needs a rumor like that spreading around about themselves."

He felt Cas tense in his arms a bit, and was a little disappointed when his friend started to move away from him.

Dean looked down at him and noticed the nervous, downcast look on Castiel's face. There was a storm brewing in the ocean blue eyes, and he was sure he was about to get caught in it.

Looking back up at Dean, Cas shifted a bit where he stood, and averted his eyes before looking back to the ground.

"Dean, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course. Anything, Cas." Dean said.

There was a few seconds pause before Cas steeled himself, and met Dean's gaze head on.

"Would it be that bad, if those weren't rumors?"

The question caught Dean by surprise. Dean stood there, a bit dumbfounded to speak, before the question finally sunk in. Cas was asking if he thought it would be bad, if Cas actually was homosexual. Suddenly the floor seemed to drop underneath Dean, and he felt put on a spotlight.

"What? No-, no way. Wait- really?" The taller man didn't know what to feel in that moment. He knew all the signs were there, especially after that moment they had in the shower, but suddenly everything else clicked. The reason why Cas didn't have too many friends. Why Gabriel asked him to look out for him. The way Cas had been acting lately.

"That means, you, the shower, we, we? You?" Dean was at a loss for words. He ran his hand heavily through his hair, and willed himself to calm down. He didn't want to frighten the man, after all.

Cas placed a hand on Dean's shoulder slowly, and spoke in a calm voice.

"That moment in the shower was for show, Dean. I told you I would show you what I meant last night. That's not how I actually am, you've been here long enough to know that I'm usually calm demeanored." Cas said jokingly and with a nervous smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Dean heard that, but his mind was going a mile a minute, and he couldn't focus. Because suddenly, all of his problems were brought to the forefront as well. He didn't care that Cas was into guys. He cared what it meant for himself. Because suddenly, all of the feelings he had been suppressing the last few weeks- from the moment he made eye contact with the man in the diner, could become validated. The feeling he got in the shower when Cas touched him shook him to his core.

'_But I'm not queer...I'm not. I can't be.' _The harsh voice of Dean's father rang out in his mind, and Dean felt his throat constricting in that familiar way.

'_What the hell do you think you're doing, boy? Who is this queer bitch?' _Slap.

'_I didn't raise a cock loving son. I didn't raise a faggot.' _A belt lash.

'_If I ever see that boy around you ever again, I'll shoot him first and then you second.' _The gun cocking.

'_Don't you dare corrupt Sammy. You keep this faggot shit away from him.' _Sammy crying.

Dean could hear Cas in the distance, but he was breathing too fast and was too far gone to care.

'_If I ever see you with another man, let alone taking it up the ass like some cheap faggot whore, that man will be the last thing you ever see.' _The press of the blade against his cheek. The warm, sickly sweet and sticky blood running down his face, and over his Adam's apple, mixing with the trail of salty tears. The smell of cheap whiskey, from a mouth that grinned with all too yellow teeth.

Dean could feel the bile rising in his throat, and before he could stop himself, he was dropping to his knees and losing what was left of dinner last night all over the hay ridden floor.

"Dean!" Cas dropped to the floor next to him, and ran his hand up and down his friend's back. Cas had expected a negative reaction. That was all he was ever used to, anyways, whenever he came out to somebody. But a part of him had really, really hoped and wished that Dean was different.

He supposed not all dreams come true.

When Dean was done dry heaving and had cleared his mind somewhat, he took a few deep breaths to collect his bearings, felt the tears running down his face, and then felt _horrible_. He knew how this must've appeared to Cas.

Looking up after wiping his mouth confirmed his suspicions; as Cas was doing his best to comfort him, he himself had a defeated look on his face. But it was the other emotion written in his expression that really made Dean feel like an ass.

It was the deep-seeded tiredness etched in every line and frown on Cas' face, that told Dean everything he needed to know. He had just over-reacted the way a lot of people had, and this wasn't the first time Cas had gone through that rodeo.

Trembling some, Dean turned around to pull Cas into his lap, taking them both down onto the ground, and crushed him in a bear hug.

"This has nothing to do with you Cas..." Dean said, holding him closely, and spoke softly.

"I...I have some things I'd much rather wait to tell you as well. But just know, my reaction just then was nothing to do with you." Cas looked up at this with a wary expression, but it held a bit of hope too.

"I don't care if you're homosexual, bisexual, transsexual, or all of the above. You're still just Cas to me, and Cas is my best friend. That won't ever change, buddy."

A moment of silence passed before a broken laugh made Dean pull away slightly to look at what was wrong. Cas had tears running down his cheeks, but he was smiling one of the most radiant smiles Dean had ever seen. With the sunlight hitting his hair just like that, and with him sprawled in Dean's lap, smiling so carefree and joyfully, Dean tried to but couldn't lie to himself anymore. Cas looked just like an angel.

With these thoughts, Dean gave a chuckle of his own before he pulled Cas closer once more, and ran his hand down his spine.

A few more moments of quiet laughter passed, before Cas finally sniffled and calmed down.

"Once again, you've astounded and amazed me, Dean Winchester. Thank you." Cas said, pulling away slightly to look at him with a fond smile.

"I'll never be able to thank you enough for everything you've done for me today."

"Then don't." Dean said. "Just remember that I'll always be here for you, and we can call it even."

Cas gave Dean a once over look, before his eyes twinkled as if they were stars from the night sky.

"I think I can manage that."

* * *

"So what do you still have to do today, Cas?"

A few days later had found the two men, once again, trying to finish up their jobs before the end of their work day. Cas had left earlier to the breeding pasture to finish watching on one of the mating pairs for the day, and had met back up with Dean when the couple was finished. Dean had been given walking duties again, and currently they were both walking side by side with one of the last horses that Dean had to get out for a walk. The last one after that would be Ama.

"I'm actually done for the day." Cas said, falling behind Dean so he could be next to the stallion and place his hand on its side to give it encouraging pats. "I had the easy shift, all I had to do today was "watch two horses get it on" as you had so elegantly said. After that all I had to do was get them back to their stables."

Dean laughed at that and stumbled on a rock, almost losing his footing until Cas reached out to catch him by his shirt to keep him upright, and Dean nodded his thanks. The trail that they had to take horses out on walks with was quite beautiful; it had flower fields surrounding it with a splash of large trees every now and then to allow shade for the horses to cool off under, but the path itself was pure dirt and gravel, and easy to trip over.

"You're lucky, Cas. The other day, I myself ended up being late after that little peepshow you gave me, and had gotten one of the duties that takes the longest, to boot." Dean said, casting his friend a playful glare over his shoulder. He didn't want to live down the memory from the showers so he could pretend to have something to poke fun at with, with the man.

The blue-eyed man chuckled at that, however, and moved to be walking side by side with Dean once more.

"Come on Dean, I may have made you late, but you know you enjoyed it." A wink followed this statement, and Dean found himself coughing on his own saliva as he felt the blood rush to his cheeks.

Worried that he might have went too far again, Cas patted at his friend's back frantically while spewing out apologies a mile a minute.

"Oh god Dean, I apologize, I didn't mean to take it that far, I was only joking; Seriously I-" A firm hand on his shoulder silenced the frantic man, and Dean shook his head with a smile.

"Don't worry about it Cas, there's nothing to apologize for. It's all good."

Giving Dean a smile, Cas was still worried, but acquiesced. He didn't miss the man secretly eyeing him up when he thought Cas wasn't looking, however, and Castiel felt his heart flutter in response.

The path was set up in a way that it was like one giant loop; eventually they could both see the stables appearing in the distance, and Dean felt a great sense of relief that he only had to walk one more horse after that.

The last few minutes were spent in companionable silence, and when they finally got through the entrance of the stables, Dean sighed in relief, while Cas was just happy that they were almost done.

While taking the brown and white stallion back to his stable, Dean had an idea.

"Hey Cas, would you mind reigning Ama up for me, and getting her a saddle?"

Cas tilted his head at the request, but still did as asked.

"Of course. Why would you want to get her a saddle, though? We're just supposed to be taking her on a walk."

When the horse that Dean had previously been walking was safe and sound back in his stable, Dean dusted off his hands, and then grabbed the reigns Cas had proffered to him. Dean stood back to admire and look at the majestic beauty that was Ama, and gave Cas a sly smile.

"Look at her Cas, she's a beauty. You said her training was already almost done, and that was a few weeks ago." Dean said, stepping up on the saddle, and tossing his leg over. Ama huffed a little in protest at the extra weight, but Dean shushed her and stroked his fingers through her mane to help calm her down.

"So how about we kill two birds with one stone? She needs a walk, but we both want to get out of here quickly."

"Dean..."

"Instead, how about we see just what this baby can do, with me as the test dummy? That way not only will her walk be done and over with, but we can assess how well she'll do for the season!" Dean concluded, with a wide grin on his face.

All Cas could feel, however, was his stomach drop, and an overwhelming sense of terror that came over him.

"Dean, no, don't do this. You haven't been trained, you won't know what to do if she tries to throw you off or gets spooked, and plus you're not even wearing a helmet or gear!" This had to be one of the most stupid ideas Cas had ever heard, and all he could see was Dean getting hurt, or worse, killed.

"Don't worry Cas, I'll be fine!"

"Dean, I'm begging you, please, don't!"

"It's okay, I got this. I'll see you in a few minutes!" Dean said with a wink and a grin, before he nudged Ama's side with his foot and snapped her reigns to set her off.

Cas tried to grab after the reigns before Ama started running, but it was too late. All he could do was watch in horror at the entrance of the stables' building. His stomach dropped even further when he saw a familiar sleek looking black car pull into the gateway of the farm nearby, and a man in a similar black suit step out to watch as Dean galloped away on Ama.

"Oh no..." Castiel mumbled under his breath.

Dean paid none of his surroundings any attention when Ama set off. As soon as she started her gallop, Dean felt like he was at the top of the world. He leaned forward as to lessen the wind resistance and not be thrown off, and grinned as he felt the wind through his hair. While Ama was running, it felt as if nothing could touch him. The power of her body beneath him as they soared down the path filled Dean with an inexplicable sense of happiness and adrenaline. When he finally opened his eyes, time seemed to slow down, and he could see every blade of grass, every flower, every fleck of blue in the sky in a way he could never before; everything was so much brighter and clearer. Dean felt like a god among m en, and as if nothing could stop him.

About halfway through the path, Dean wanted to see what Ama really could do.

"Alrighty, baby," Dean said, leaning closer to speak to Ama, "We're gonna see just how fast you can really go."

Returning to his former posture, Dean snapped Ama's reigns once more and nudged her with his foot again. The mare let out a loud whinny before Dean felt her really kick it into high gear.

He was completely astounded. He had to squint his eyes as to not get any dirt or debris caught in them, and to protect them from the harsh wind. The speed they were going was incredible, and the rush he was getting rivaled the ones he got whenever he raced his Impala to its limits.

The moment seemed to pass too quickly, however, and soon enough Dean was guiding Ama to a slow gait before they crashed into the stables. As soon as they got to the entrance, Cas immediately grabbed part of Ama's reigns and guided them into the stables' house. When they were inside, Dean hopped off of Ama and let out a loud whoop of happiness.

"HOLY SHIT, CAS! Did you see that man? Did you see that? We had to be going every bit of like, forty miles per hour!" Dean laughed and spun around with his arms outstretched. His adrenaline was still rushing from that ride, and he felt as if nothing could ever take him this high again.

Cas, however, did not have similar sentiments, and Dean found himself being lifted into the air by the collar of his shirt with two strong hands, and shoved into the wall behind him. Castiel shoved his knee onto the wall to prop up Dean's body onto, and when Dean looked into his eyes, all he could see was pure worry, fear, and anger.

"Do you have any idea of the severity of what you've just done?!" Cas started, "Of what could have happened?! You could have been killed, Dean, killed!"

"Well, actua-" Dean attempted to interrupt, but the furious man wasn't having any of it, and he shoved into Dean to prove his point.

"No, Dean, you don't get to have a word in this! Not when you just so carelessly tossed away your life on a whim!" Dean started to get a bit annoyed by this point. He could understand why Cas was upset, but he didn't know why he was _this _upset. It's not like he put anyone else's life in danger.

"Okay Cas, no, you need to chill the fuck out alright? I don't see why you're getting so worked up about this! No one else was put in danger, it was just me!"

"You absolute IDIOT!"

In the matter of seconds, Dean noticed a direct switch in Cas' expression, while they were both panting heavily. Dean was able to spare a moment's glance at Cas' lips, and notice just how soft they looked, before suddenly those lips were on his.

Cas couldn't take it anymore. If his friend was going to be so oblivious to his burgeoning feelings, and how he felt for him, then he was going to take the dive and make a point to just let it be out in the open and known.

When Castiel's lips made contact with his own, Dean's brain shut down, and all he could think of was just how soft they were, how warm Cas was, and how secure he felt with Cas' knee under him. Every other thought flew right out of his brain.

Dean instinctively wrapped his legs around Cas' waist, and his arms around his neck as the shorter man worked to deepen the kiss. Placing his hands securely under Dean's bottom, a small gasp was ripped from his throat when he felt Dean travel his hands all over his body, and slip them under his shirt to feel and rub at the silky skin of his back and shoulder blades. He flicked his tongue out to try and gain access to Dean's mouth, and Cas began to kneed the soft skin of his posterior, successfully drawing a moan that granted Castiel access.

When Cas felt his tongue graze with Dean's, he felt his heart pound out of his chest. He could feel every inch of Dean all over him, surrounding him, engulfing him, and sending little sparks throughout his whole body. Dean was everything Cas wanted and more, and when he felt the blond pump his hips a little against his own, to try and gain friction, he was lost.

Soon after Dean broke away from the kiss for air, panting, shaky, and feeling an intense variety of emotions. Castiel had pressed him gently back against the wall, and had his head buried against his shoulder.

"Don't you get it, Dean? You're an idiot," Cas said, in between pants for air, "I got so worried, because I care about you. I like you, Dean. I like you more than just friends. I _really_ like you."

Dean heard every word Cas was saying, but was also frozen to the spot. The reality of what had just happened was crashing down on him, tenfold. He began to tremble in his friend's hold. He was scared of what Cas was saying.

"When I first laid eyes on you in that restaurant, I was lost, Dean. I was like a comet, and you brought me crashing down through the night sky, right to earth, right to you."

"C-Cas...no….We...we can't..." Dean said. He felt Castiel tremble next, and knew he was about to break the man. He wasn't good for Cas though. Not right now, he was too scared. He needed to keep Cas safe, and he also needed to keep himself safe, too.

It would be better for the both of them, if they just remained friends.

"Cas, I need to keep you safe. We'll both be targeted if we take this anywhere past friendship." Dean said, quietly.

His heart ached with his words. Castiel was a great guy. He was sweet, loyal, kind, selfless, and endearing. He was the type of guy to give a beggar on the streets his last dollar, because he just knew that person could use the money more than he could. He was the type to take a random kitten in and become its mother, and nurse it to health in its own mother's absence. He was the type to light up at even the simplest act of kindness, because he was just so appreciative and grateful that someone cared to do something for him. He was thoughtful. He was cute, he was handsome, and he was goddamn sexy without even trying.

Cas was everything _Dean_ wanted in a guy.

But no matter what he did, Dean couldn't get his father's harsh words out of his head, and he couldn't erase the image of his battered ex, laying in the streets of his childhood city.

"Dean, I can take care of myself quite well, and you can take care of yourself beyond well too." Castiel slowly raised his head up to stare at Dean with tired, watery eyes. He gently removed his leg and lowered Dean to the ground, keeping a hold on his hands in his own.

"What is the real reason you can't do this? I think the truth is the least either of us deserve."

Dean took a deep breath before he clenched his eyes shut, and bowed his head.

"I'm not ready. I'm afraid, Cas," Dean said, clenching Cas' hands, "I know my asshole father is long gone, but his words still ring in my head. I can't get them _out_ of my _head_. And I can't get the images of the couples we see all the time in the news out of my head either. I think it would be best, if we just stayed friends, Cas."

The Winchester took a shaky breath, before he opened his eyes back up. Cas was staring at him, but this time he was giving him a sad smile. The look of resignation was clear on his face.

"I can respect your wishes," Cas said, "But, somethings in this life are worth fighting for, Dean. Never forget that." Castiel gave Dean one last final squeeze to his hands, before he let them go, and stuck his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

Dean straightened himself up against the wall and watched as Cas slowly walked out of the stables, into the warm orange light of the setting sun.

A gust of wind picked up and blew through the stables, ruffling Dean's hair.

For some reason, he couldn't smell the gardenias anymore.


End file.
